Abomination
by Danny vs A Month
Summary: Oswald doesn't want them to come back. He can't let them come back. He suffered enough the first time. But some things just can't be stopped. Even by a being that should have never existed.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. I have never read the manga. I've only watched the show as far as it's on Netflix.

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Blacksmith

Oswald sighed as he dunked the blade he had just finished hammering into its cooling trough. He didn't mind working as a blacksmith. He just hated that he couldn't go watch the fighting festival in Vaizel. Or take part. He hated the idea of hurting others, but fighting in a festival would be fun. He could test himself without having to worry about anyone actually getting seriously hurt. He lifted the blade, setting it back on the anvil and staring at it. Yet another perfectly average blade that he wouldn't be payed for. He attached the sword's hilt and secured it before setting the sword off to the side. Then, he pulled out another of the blades he had put in the water earlier. He set it down and began to attach a hilt, only to freeze as the hair all over his body stood on end and his skin prickled so hard it actually hurt, like needles stabbing into him in a wave. He dropped the handle, eyes rising to the horizon in the direction of Vaizel.

"It...can't be," he breathed. "That's impossible. They can't have...wouldn't...I know? No. It's not them. They're all still..." His eyes fell to the hilt still in his hand, his knuckles long since white and his hand trembling. "But then...who..."

He dropped the hilt, grabbing his finished sword and its scabbard and ran outside to where there was a pure white horse tied to a post, a gilded saddle on its back. He slashed its reins and jumped onto the saddle just as the door flew open and a Holy Knight with fancy silver armor ran out.

"My horse!" he shouted, Oswald completely ignoring him and riding hard toward Vaizel, the sword hanging across his back now. "Get back here! Hey, that's my horse!"

He grit his teeth, leaning forward and resting his hand on the horse's side. "Please, I need you to hurry. I know it's not fair, and it's going to hurt, but I need you to get me there as fast as you can without dying."

The horse surged forward, streaking across the open plane. As they grew closer to Vaizel, smoke began to appear on the horizon. Then flames, massive blazes throughout the town of Vaizel and the land around it. Oswald narrowed his eyes.

"Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine," he counted quietly to himself. "Nine of them. No. Three of them are just Holy Knights. They're too weak to stop them, though. But there's no question it's them."

He drew his sword, a bastard sword with a ring pommel, a silver grip with the last half-inch of the guards' ends pointed upward, and a custom grip made out of three metal rods twisted around the hilt. Its scabbard was red with gold at the opening and the end. He glanced at his reflection in the blade's side, seeing his irises were an angry red, his black hair blowing in the wind from the horse's gallop. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, seeing blue eyes staring back at him from the blade. He sighed, looking to the front again. He was close now. He pulled on the horse's reins and it slowed to a stop, panting. He hopped down and patted it on the side of the neck.

"Thank you. You go ahead and head on back. Take your time though. You've worked enough for today."

The horse turned, walking back the way it had come and Oswald turned to the front again, seeing several floating fireballs in a sort of cloud around a young blonde boy, one holding a broken sword with a green serpent hilt. Just outside of the cloud of fireballs was a girl with long black hair, Holy Knight armor, and a jousting-lance-like weapon. Just as he saw them, the fireballs began to explode.

"Who...that's not possible," he breathed. "She can't be...what the hell's going on here?"

"Who the hell are you?"

Oswald's head snapped to the side, staring at the young boy in a light blue sweatshirt floating on a green pillow, the boy seeming to think that Oswald was as strange as he seemed.

"You're floating?" Oswald asked. "How? You aren't Goddess Race. Are you a fairy? You must be young to not have wings yet."

The boy's face turned pink instantly. "Shut up! Just because I don't have wings doesn't mean I'm a kid!"

"So then, if you're that one, where's..." he turned, staring as the blonde boy with the green sword hilt and a guy with a red leather jacket red leather pants, and silver hair crashed into each other in mid air, the by trailing smoke and the man trailing blood, both crashing to the ground. Then, two women walked toward the pair, coming from the directions they had flown from. The woman that had fought the blonde boy was completely unscathed, and the other was a girl with short silver hair, bright red lips, a ninjato with a gold tsuba, light purple armor over a light pink shirt, both of which had a round opening over the chest to expose her cleavage, black combat underwear, and light purple greaves starting from about a third of the way down her thighs.

"Who are they?" Oswald asked, sword trembling slightly.

"They're Holy Knights," the boy said. "My name's King. Now, who are you?"

"My name's Oswald," he said. "So, if you're king, that would make those two Ban and Meliodas, right? Of the Seven Deadly Sins? Looks like the rumors were exaggerated."

"That's a little rude," King said.

"Against those two..." Oswald trailed off, glancing at his sword. "I'll lend a hand."

"You?" King scoffed. "We don't need-"

Oswald sprinted forward, gripping his sword with both hands.

"Hey! Get back here!"

The girl with the ninjato spun, slashing at him but Oswald deflected the slash over himself, stabbing at the opening in her armor. She spun out of the way, slashing back down at him but Oswald twisted, blocking the blade and skidding to a stop, shoving the blade away. Before he could attack again, however, the girl grinned.

"Godspeed Ten Slashes!" she said, sword becoming a blur, striking at Oswald rapidly, only to spark off of his own each time. "What!?"

"I like that one," Oswald said. "Let's see, how'd it go? Godspeed Ten Slashes."

His sword tore into her, mimicking her own attack and sending her flying with the last strike. She drove her sword's blade into the ground and skidded to a stop, staring at him in shock and confusion.

"Allow me, Jericho," the woman said, stepping past her and holding out her weapon, a fireball forming at the end and firing at him.

"Heaven's Shield." He held out his right hand and a massive, glowing, white flower with seven petals spiraled outward from his hand, stopping when it was about six feet across before six circular barriers formed in front of it, each slightly smaller around than the one before it.

The fireball exploded against the first barrier and the woman growled in annoyance, rapidly firing a dozen more, some of them moving to go around the barrier. However, when they did, Oswald swung his hand to the size and all of the circular barriers merged with the flower, which grew and folded, transforming into a dome and blocking everything. Once the fireballs had finally stopped, he let the flower fade and watched the woman in silence.

"Your magic attacks won't get through my shield," Oswald said. "Now, who are you?"

"My name is Guila," she said. "I'm a Holy Knight of Liones, and I'm going to obliterate-"

She was cut off by a spear streaking through the air and spinning, the shaft blasting into her and launching her, before following and beginning to beat her around and around through the air. Finally, it blasted her into Jericho, knocking both unconscious and King sighed, floating down beside Oswald, the spear hovering beside him and his pillow gone.

"You're pretty strong," King said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Oswald," he said. "I'm a blacksmith from one town over."

"A blacksmith with that kind of power?" King asked. "I don't think so. Who are you really?"

"I just told you," Oswald said. "I'm a blacksmith. I saw explosions and came to see if anyone needs help."

"And _I_ just told _y__ou_, I'm not buying that some random blacksmith has that kind of power," King said.

Just then, a pig skidded to a stop beside Meliodas and Ban, a tiny girl about the size of Oswald's hand seated on the pig's back.

"You really did a number on them King!" the pig said, Oswald simply staring at it, blinking slowly as his brain tried to process that that _had_, in fact, just happened.

"They're not dead yet, though," King said. "I've still got some questions for the two of them, as well as our mysterious friend here. Take those two somewhere safe."

"You can count on me!" the pig said, grabbing a part of the two unconscious criminals' sleeves and turning to run, chanting, "Piggy trot, piggy trot, piggy trot," as it ran.

"That pig...talks," Oswald said, staring after it.

"Tell me who you really are, or you'll be my next opponent," King said, holing a hand out toward his spear, which turned toward Oswald.

"I already told you, I'm a blacksmith," Oswald said. "I was told my physical skills, like my skill with a sword, came from my father, and that my magic abilities, like my shield, I got from my mother."

"Speaking of yur sword skills, how did you copy Jericho's attack?" King asked.

"All she was doing was slashing really fast," Oswald shrugged. "Doing stuff like that's not hard as long as your arms are quick."

"That wasn't just copying someone's movements," King said. "They were too fast for that."

"Well, that's all I..." He stopped, looking to the side, in the direction the pig had gone.

For just a moment, he had felt it. There could be no doubt. One of them was here. But that should be impossible.

"It can't be," Oswald breathed. "Meliodas...can't be..."

"Hey, what the hell are you saying?" King demanded.

"There's something wrong," Oswald said.

"What are you talking about?" King demanded.

"Are you two bickering amongst yourselves now?"

"Mind your own business Guila," Oswald said. "King, can you sense your captain's energy?"

King was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Him and Diane's energies have been gone for a little while now. And Ban's is fading."

Oswald nodded. "Go help them."

"What about you?" King asked.

"I'm going to deal with these two," Oswald said.

"If you say so," King said.

However, as King turned to leave, a Holy Knight with golden armor and a scimitar with a green blade and four notches missing from the tip of it appeared in front of him, slashing. King's spear blocked it, but the knight slammed a kick into his gut, launching him away.

"Die!" Jericho shouted, Oswald spinning.

Her sword flashed down at Oswald, sparking against his own as he leapt backward. He landed on his feet, skidding to a stop, and sighed. That had been close. He looked up at the two just as fireballs began to flash toward him from Guila. He held out a hand, forming his shield again, already as a dome, and just as the fireballs began to meet the shield, a grid of energy hit the back of the shield from where Jericho had sent it at him in a series of slashes. Finally, the attacks ended and he let the shield fade just as King knocked his opponent's helmet off at the same time as receiving a gash across his stomach, except, he was suddenly a fat, ugly man who was almost double his previous age.

"I told you, you're not breaking my shield," Oswald said.

Jericho charged at him from behind and he spun, knocking her sword away and moving to stab her, only for Guila's weapon to slam into his side, sending him bouncing away across the ground. He rolled to a stop and pushed himself up as fireballs began to rain down at him from above. His eyes widened and he hurled himself to the side, the first fireball exploding on the ground, the concussion sending him flying, the following concussions adding to his speed. Finally, he bounced and rolled to a stop again, pushing himself up just as Jericho reached him, sword pulled back. However, she froze as a massive explosion went off in the distance. Oswald turned, staring toward the explosion, Jericho doing the same.

"What the hell was that?" Oswald asked, pushing himself up. "What did you do?"

"I placed mines around the village," Guila said. "It seems someone just stepped on one. I wonder who it was."

Oswald turned back to them just as Jericho's blade drove itself through his abdomen. His eyes widened and he folded forward slightly, blood dripping off of the bottom of her sword's hilt to the ground. After a moment, she ripped the sword back out, blood splattering along the ground, and he fell to his knees, on hand pressing against his wound as he gagged and vomited up blood.

"You were a fool to believe you could actually face two Holy Knights alone," Jericho said.

"You're..." he vomited up blood again. "Not...human. What...are you?"

Both stared at him in silence for a moment before Jericho raised her sword. "We're the New Generation of Holy Knights. And you're going to die here."

He collapsed, falling to the side and Jericho stopped, lowering her sword after a moment.

"Oh well, I guess he died anyway," Guila said. "Let's go."

They began to walk away and Oswald waited until they were gone before cracking an eye open, checking that they weren't there before gritting his teeth and pushing himself up slowly. Just as he did, a massive pillar of dark black energy exploded into the air in the distance, where he could sense Guila and Jericho. Except, his senses were focused on the darkness. There was n mistaking that power. It _was_ him. Finally, the darkness vanished, leaving a shirtless Meliodas standing in between Elizabeth and the two Holy Knights, dark markings covering the right half of his body. Oswald swallowed hard. In the blink of an eye, Meliodas ripped Guila's hand off, taking the sword hilt she had taken from it, then slashed downward with his broken sword, the ground exploding in a trail toward the two Holy Knights, sending them both flying. Oswald shook his head. He was a monster.

"Dammit," Oswald sighed. "Just my luck."

He began to limp forward, his gait evening out after a moment before he began to jog, then finally run. However, before he could get far, Meliodas, who had been attacking everyone except the now full-sized silver-haired girl from the pig's back, indiscriminately, formed the darkness covering his body into a wing and took off, heading toward King and his opponent. He crashed down hard and instantly moved to drill a punch into King's opponent's gut, only for the man to catch it. Then, Meliodas disappeared, reappearing to drill a knee into the man's jaw as he leapt into the air, then slammed into him on the way back down. Oswald slowed to a stop beside King, turning away from Meliodas.

"Are you alright?" Oswald asked.

"I'll be fine," King said, holding a hand to the gash that stretched diagonally across his entire torso's front. "You need to get out of here."

Oswald looked over at the battle, seeing the man Meliodas was fighting drill a punch into Meliodas, sending him blasting into the ground. "That guy's powerful to be able to fight against Meliodas and win."

"His name's Helbram," King said. "He's strong."

As they watched, Helbram and Meliodas began to fight, Meliodas manipulating the darkness on his body to fight Helbram, forming a sword, an axe, moving it to block Helbram's sword, forming a shield, a pair of massive, clawed hands. Meliodas was fast, but Helbram was somehow managing to keep up, and to actually win. Except, just as Helbram managed to actually wound Meliodas, Meliodas' Magical power suddenly spiked, the darkness growing into spikes over his body, like it was trying to take control.

"What's going on?" King asked. "What power is that?"

"Go find Ban," Oswald said. "Meliodas wounded him earlier. You should make sure he's okay."

"I'm more worried about Elizabeth at this point," King said. "I'll be back. And when I am, you're going to answer my questions, for real this time."

Oswald nodded, still watching Meliodas' fight. Just as King left, Helbram, apparently having just gotten some powerup, slammed his sword inti Meliodas' gut, sending him blasting into a cliff. Oswald swallowed hard, running toward the cliff. He couldn't let Meliodas be captured. He couldn't stop it, but maybe he could keep Helbram busy long enugh for Meliodas to wake up. Just as he neared the top of the cliff, however, a giant, a girl with brown hair and an orange one-piece suit, appeared behind Helbram, swiping at him with a gigantic hammer, barely missing.

She gently pulled Meliodas from the cliff face and turned, swiping at Helbram rapidly, demanding to know if he was the one that hurt Meliodas. Finally, she slammed the hammer into the ground. "Mother Earth Catastrophe!"

The ground exploded instantly, a massive wave of destruction ripping the ground asunder, chasing Helbram, who retrieved Jericho and Guila before getting onto a flying manta ray, fleeing the attack. Oswald felt the cliff tremble and turned to run, only for the ground to give way under him. However, the giant caught him with the same hand that was holding Meliodas.

"Thanks," Oswald said.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Oswald," he said. "I'm a blacksmith, who also happens to be good with a sword and have some magic powers."

She stared at him before turning back to the front. Then, she jumped, leaping onto a massive half-dome of stone that had spikes on the underside, the thing hovering in the air over Helbram and the others. Once on it, she slammed her hammer into it and it exploded into the ground instantly. After several moments of the dust settling, Dian slid to the ground and set Oswald down before hugging Meliodas against her cheek.

"Diane!" the silver-haired girl, Elizabeth, Oswald assumed, called out, running over with Ban and the pig following at a walk. "Sir Meliod-" She was cut off by Ban passing her and slamming a punch into Meliodas' jaw just as Diane set him on his feet, sending him exploding into a rock a dozen yards behind Meliodas.

"That aughta do it," Ban said. "Had to pay you back for before."

"Yeah that's cool," Meliodas said.

"I was so worried!" Elizabeth said, running over and helping him up.

"Sorry," Meliodas smiled.

Oswald looked around, not seeing King, but finding Ban staring at him.

"Who's this guy?" Ban asked.

"I'm Oswald," Oswald said. "I'm a blacksmith."

"A blacksmith, huh?" Ban asked. "A blacksmith who can fight two Holy Knights single-handed? Sorry, not buying it."

"He fought Guila and Jericho?" Meliodas asked.

"Yeah," Ban said. "You were out cold, but I was just conscious enough to see some of it. He was able to copy on of Jericho's techniques, and then he had some barrier spell that blocked Guila's attacks."

"Impressive," Meliodas said.

"Jericho was just slashing really fast, and my shield I got from my family, or, so I've been told," Oswald said. "I've actually never met my family."

"What, you're an orphan?" Ban asked.

"I think mistake would be more accurate," Oswald said. "Growing up, I was always treated like garbage. Everyone hated me, just because I existed. There was this one girl who was always beating me up for being alive, telling me I should just die. That I had no purpose in this world."

"A girl huh?" Ban asked, grinning. "Sounds like she liked you."

"She tried to kill me," Oswald said. "Nearly did a few times."

Ban fell silent.

"Like I said, I was always a mistake," Oswald said.

"That's not true," Elizabeth said. "You weren't a mistake. Even if no one wanted to admit it, you were never a mistake."

"You're wrong," Oswald said, staring at the ground. "But thank you." He looked up at Meliodas. "You're Meliodas?"

"That's right," he nodded.

"The _real_ Meliodas?" Oswald asked. "From all those years ago? The traitor?"

Meliodas' head tilted to the side a little, eyes narrowing. "Do I know you?"

"No," Oswald said. "We've never met before. It's just...you're younger than I expected."

"I get that a lot," Meliodas said.

"You were my hero when I was little," Oswald said.

"That one's not quite as popular," Meliodas said. "So, you said you were a blacksmith?"

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "Although, I don't get payed for it. I make the swords and the shop's owner takes all the money. He just feeds me the scraps. Just enough to survive."

"Well, you're welcome to come with us," Meliodas said. "We could use your help, if you really _did_ fight two Holy Knights alone."

Oswald nodded, smiling.

"Just a second," Ban said. "There's something that's been bugging me. That hole in yur shirt, and all that blood. You were clearly stabbed, but you've got no wound. How is that possible?"

"I have really limited healing magic," Oswald said. "I was able to seal the wound, but it took me a minute, which is why there's so much blood."

Ban nodded. "Sounds useful."

"Says the guy that got cut in half and is fine now," Oswald said.

"Touché," Ban smirked. "Alright, let's get going. I could use a nap."

Just then, rubble off to the side shifted and they all turned, seeing a Holy Knight kneeling in the middle of it with a purple barrier around him and a girl with short purple hair lying in his arms, unmoving.

"Who's that?" Oswald asked as Elizabeth walked over to them.

"Griamore and Princess Veronica," Ban said. "Elizabeth's sister."

"Elizabeth is a princess?" Oswald blinked.

"That's right," Meliodas nodded.

"So then, it was Veronica that set off Guila's mine?" Oswald asked.

"Yeah," Ban nodded. "She saved Elizabeth from it."

Oswald nodded. "I see."

He glanced at Meliodas again before turning just as the ground shook. Slowly, his eyes rose, taking in the gigantic green pig standing behind them, a building resting on top of its head like a hat.

"Uh...is that...normal?" Oswald asked.

"Oh, that's Hawk's Mom," Ban said. "She carries around the captain's bar for him."

"Hawk?" Oswald asked.

"The master," Ban said, gesturing at the talking pig."

"Oh," Oswald said. "Of course."

After another minute of Elizabeth saying her goodbyes to Griamore and Veronica, as well as asking Griamore to bury Veronica beside some lake, the sins that could fit in the bar all jumped up onto the pig and went inside, Ban bringing Oswald onto the pig with him.

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	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

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Armor Giant

Oswald groaned, rolling onto his back. "Ban. Ban. Baaaan."

"What?" Ban groaned.

"The...a...message," Oswald mumbled, Ban only making out a few words. "She loves you."

Ban opened his eyes, blinking. "What now? Who loves me?"

Oswald didn't respond, having fallen back to sleep. Ban kicks him in the side, Oswald shouting in pain and surprise, sitting bolt upright.

"Hey asshole, what the fuck was that message about!?" Ban demanded.

"What message?" Oswald asked.

"You said you had a message for me, then said 'she loves you' and went back to sleep!" Ban shouted.

"She loves you?" Oswald blinked. "Who loves you?"

"I don't fucking know!" Ban shouted. "It was _your_ message!"

"Well...do you have any female family or something?" Oswald asked.

Ban was silent for a moment. "No one alive."

"Well, maybe a dead one then," Oswald said. "I doubt the dead stop caring about the living once they go to whichever afterlife they go to."

"What do you mean 'whichever afterlife?'" Diane asked.

"Well, not all races have the same afterlife, at least, I don't think so," Oswald said. "Humans, Fairies, and Giants all go to the dead capital, but demons sure as hell don't. The Demon Clan go to hell when they die. And the Goddess Clan go to Heaven."

"I suppose that makes sense," Diane nodded.

"And then, of course, there are the others," Oswald said, staring down at his lap, hands clenching as his thoughts obviously turned dark. "Those whose life is that of sin, and whose very existence is, in and of itself, a sin. They don't have an afterlife. All that awaits them is an end. Darkness. Nothing."

"Oblivion," Meliodas said from off to the side. "I don't think anyone ever _actually_ ends in oblivion. There's no one that's so impure and sinful that they would just be erased. After all, even the Demon Clan has an afterlife."

"The Demon Clan..." Oswald trailed off, sighing before shaking his head. "Never mind. You're probably right. I'm going to get some more sleep, if Ban's done kicking me."

"Yeah, sure," Ban nodded.

Oswald nodded and lay down, Ban and the others looking around at each other, confused. After a few more minutes, they all lay down as well, beginning to drift off one by one, Oswald lying away until the sun began to rise and the others woke up again. They all left the building to train and Oswald sighed, getting up as well, changing into clean clothes and pulling his sword on across his back, then paused beside the door, staring at the empty scabbard Meliodas had left lying on the counter. He walked over, estimating the length of the blade that would fit in it. About two feet eight inches, give or take. He sighed. Meliodas hadn't cared at all about his sword going missing, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling its loss. After all, his Full Counter ability relied on him having a weapon.

Oswald walked outside with his pack and Meliodas' scabbard, looking around before walking through the woods a ways. He could sense Ban and King training, and he knew that it was a good idea to. However, he had other things to do. So, after about twenty minutes, he found a small clearing with several stones and a stream off to the side/ He dragged the stones into place in a circle, then held his hand out, a fire bursting to life instantly. Then, he opened his pack, pulling out a pot and several metal ingots, dropping them in and setting them over the fire before pulling out several casts, holding the scabbard up to them before choosing out. It was a little too short for the scabbard, but it was about the right breadth and width, and with Meliodas's small arms, shorter was probably better.

After about an hour and a half, his metal had melted and he used the pommel of his own sword to tip the pot over using its handle, pouring the metal into the cast. Then, he set the pot back down, and picked up the cast, carrying it to the stream, lowering it in to cool the metal before breaking the cast off, pulling out the blade. Then, he walked over to the stones, setting it on one he had left away from the fire, setting it down before getting a pair of pliers and a hammer, holding the blade over the fire to heat it before beginning to hammer it into a more precise shape. Once that was done, he extinguished the fire and began to use a wet stone to finish sharpening the blade. Once finished, he reached into the pack and dug around for a moment before pulling out a handle similar to his own sword's, and quickly attached it. Then, he packed everything back up and walked up the hill, arriving just as the others walked out of the bar.

"There you are!" Hawk said. "Where the hell were you?"

"Making a new sword," Oswald said, holding it out to Meliodas. "I know it's not your last sword, but you'll need something."

"Hey thanks," Meliodas smiled, drawing it.

It was about two feet three inches, so it was more or less the right length for Meliodas. He gave it a couple of practice swings and nodded.

"Nice job," Meliodas said. "But how'd you do it so fast? I thought it usually took days, at best."

"Magic fire," Oswald said. "It melts the metal in about an hour, and then when you use it to heat the blade before you hammer it, it lets you do the hammering in a lot less time."

Meliodas nodded. "Makes sense."

"How can you use magic fire?" King asked.

"Same way I can use Heaven's Shield," Oswald shrugged. "I got it from my parents."

"Mother or father?" Meliodas asked.

"Father," Oswald said.

Meliodas hummed to himself before nodding. "Okay then."

"What, that's it?" Ban asked. "Aren't you curious who he is?"

"Yeah, but it's none of my business," Meliodas shrugged. "So he's a blacksmith with magical powers. As long as he doesn't try to hurt my friends, I've got no quarrel with him."

"Well I don't trust him," King said, crossing his arms.

"Then it's a good thing I don't need you to," Oswald said, following Meliodas into the bar.

The others all followed as well, and after a few minutes, Hawk's Mom was off, traveling along the road again. As they did, Oswald tended to his sword, cleaning and sharpening it.

"You tend to your sword all the time," King says. "You should be careful. If you keep overworking the blade like that, it'll be unusable in no time."

"It'd take fifty years," Oswald said. "That may be nothing for a Fairy who has a spear formed from the Sacred Tree, which never needs to be cleaned or sharpened, but for me, if I still have this sword in fifty years, am alive, and am still using it, I'll be amazed."

King shrugged. "Whatever."

"Meliodas, would you mind if I used you to practice my sword fighting?" Oswald asks after a bit."

"Sure," Meliodas nods, picking up a butter knife.

"Just don't kill me please," Oswald muttered.

"Don't worry," Meliodas said calmly. "I won't hurt you."

Oswald nodded and stepped forward, slashing at Meliodas, who deflected the blow with the knife and jabbed it at Oswald. Oswald spun around Meliodas, slashing at his back and Meliodas spun, catching Oswald by the arm. Oswald dropped his sword, catching it in his free arm as he spun, holding it in reverse grip and slashing at Meliodas, who leapt backward, avoiding the blade. Oswald switched it back to his right hand and darted forward, Meliodas charging as well. Then, when Oswald's sword met Meliodas's knife, it streaked backward, stabbing through Ban's chest into the wall, Meliodas's knife hovering in front of Oswald's throat.

"You're pretty good," Meliodas complemented.

"Captain, did you have to stab me with it?" Ban asked, pulling the sword out, the wound sealing instantly. "This is a pretty nice sword."

Oswald accepted it back. "Thanks. And...uh...sorry about your shirt."

"Don't worry," Ban said, waving his hand. "I'll just fix it later. Or find a new one."

Oswald nodded just as the bar stopped. "Where are we?"

"A little town where I heard we might find some of the Seven Deadly Sins," King said.

"Alright, let's go look," Meliodas said, walking out of the bar. After a moment, the others followed, Elizabeth staying to keep Diane company, since Diane stayed behind to avoid scaring people.

* * *

Oswald stared into the trees. behind him, a group of children, along with their caretaker Armand, were talking about something called the God of the Mountain, the source of a roar that was currently echoing from in the forest a ways away. Meliodas and the others seemed interested in the stories, but Oswald was interested in something else. Normally, he would say he was wrong, that it couldn't actually be one. But Vaizel had proven that wasn't entirely true.

"Hey Oswald, you okay?" Meliodas asked.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Oswald decided. "See if I can find what's making so much racket."

""Good luck," Meliodas said, turning and walking away.

As Oswald walked into the trees, he could feel King watching him for a few minutes before King left too. He began to jog, making his way through the trees quickly before slowing to a stop just as whatever it was roared again, the ground trembling, though not along with the roar. He climbed a tree nearby, getting to one of its upper branches and looked through the trees before him, seeing a clearing. One littered with dead knights, where a gigantic suit of armor was standing amidst the corpses, what remained of the knights charging him, only to be slaughtered as the giant crushed them under its wagon-sized fists. Oswald stared at it. The armor belonged to Gowther, the Goat Sin of Lust. And whatever was inside of it, the armor was muting its power, making it hard to sense, but as he watched it, it felt like he was kneeling over an ant hill, his skin crawling like a swarm of ants, every hair standing on end.

"What are you?" he breathed.

After a few more minutes, five Holy Knights arrived as the armor was finishing off the other lesser knights. Oswald payed them no mind, watching the suit of armor. After a few more minutes, King floated up beside him as the armor and the Holy Knights all fell motionless.

"What are you doing?" King asked quietly.

"Not getting in the way of five Holy Knights," Oswald said. "That giant isn't Gowther, someone has his armor."

"How do you know that?" King asked.

"Hunch?" Oswald shrugged.

"That's a hell of a specific hunch," King growled, his pillow transforming into a spar.

Just then, a young blonde child, one who had been pretending to be Meliodas before, ran out of the trees, beginning to try and talk tot he Holy Knights. However, they ignored him, so instead he turned to the giant armor. then, he drew a sword and lunged, slashing it repeatedly, if harmlessly. The giant reacted instantly, though, punching down at him, only for his caretaker to shove him out of the way, being crushed instead. An instant later, King grabbed the child and vanished, then Meliodas slammed into the Holy Knights as they moved to attack the giant, setting Oswald on his feet beside himself as he landed.

"Why'd you bring me?" Oswald asked.

"Your shield will be helpful," Meliodas said.

"Oh, that," Oswald nodded. "I'm not sure we should defend this thing."

"But it's Gowther," Meliodas said.

"I don't think it is," Oswald said.

Meliodas charged at the leader of the Holy Knights, a guy with a metal mask, a ripped shirt, and a massive sword with a tipless, saw-toothed blade, only for the man to slip past Meliodas, grabbing him by the head and slamming him into the ground. Instantly, the other three close-range Holy Knights, one with a pair of sawblades on sticks, one with a very long katana-style sword, and one with a sword that had the last quarter of the blade bent back and forth into a zig-zag, leapt at the giant. However, Oswald raised a hand, forming his shield in their path. The katana and the saw blade crashed into the shield, and the blonde with the zig-zagged sword sent out a golden blast of what looked like electricity, only for it to hit the shield and stop.

"What the hell?" the guy with the katana, who had long, straight, silver hair and red armor, gaped. "What the hell is that? Who is this guy?"

Just then, the giant roared, punching downward at Oswald. Oswald's head snapped up before he swung his hand upward, the shield flashing up to block the punch. There was a deafening connection, and the fist smashed through three of the shields before stopping on the fourth, which it cracked. Oswald winced before letting his shield fade as he hurled himself aside, the fist exploding into the ground, barely missing him. As he stood, the Holy Knight leader's blade crashed into the giant's armor, grinding against it as he passed. Then, the final Holy Knight, an archer, pulled his bow back, only for Ban to appear behind him. However, when Ban struck, the Holy Knight vanished.

A moment later, several corpses shifted and the real archer sat up, his arrow glowing with magical energy before he fired. Oswald, made no move to block it this time, though it was apparently unnecessary. As the arrow approached the giant, the corpse it had crushed before, Armand, stood, reaching up and catching the arrow, stopping it.

"No one could understand what had just happened," the man said as everyone stared at him. "As still as a corpse the man waited for the right moment. I knew he'd launch an arrow from my blind spot. And if things had gone according to plan, this would have been enough to protect it. But the Roars of Dawn are pretty formidable. Even with three of your four attacks blocked, that final strike was enough to shatter the armor. But the price for breaking the seal will be a steep one, humans."

Oswald backed away from the giant as the armor began to crumble, more and more of the creature's power leaking through. Oswald drew his sword, holding it at his side but watching the armor fall away. He ignored the others as they greeted Gowther, who recognized everyone but King immediately, only remembering King when he transformed himself into a fat, unattractive form, then recognized him as well. After a moment, however, King turned back into his normal form and flew down to hover in front of Oswald, his spear hovering at his side.

"How did you know it wasn't Gowther?" King asked.

"I told you, I had a hunch," Oswald said.

"Won't you leave him be?" Gowther was asking the leader of the Holy Knights. "Please?"

"Ah just let them kill him," Ban said.

"I don't believe you," King said, the spear floating closer just as the giant's power began to spike rapidly.

"You might want to switch back to a shield," Oswald suggested.

King spun just as the creature roared, Gowther's armor exploding off of it. What it left behind was disturbing, to put it nicely. It was also powerful. it was easily stronger than any of the Holy Knights alone.

"After feeling its power first hand, do you still believe you can defeat it?" Gowther asked.

The Holy Knights' leader was silent for several seconds. "We can defeat it. Of course, two, no, one of the Roars of Dawn is sure to die. But we're also certain to get his head."

"Such cool judgement," Gowther said. "I suppose I have no choice." Then, he swung his arm upward, his hand taking off the giant's head, which he caught and offered to the lead Holy Knight.

"What's the meaning of this?" the Holy Knight demanded.

"This is the most peaceful way of resolving this situation," Gowther said. "If there was a three-way battle between our parties, the destruction of Ordan and the people in it would be inevitable. Besides, this can give some sense of consolation for your fallen knights."

The Holy Knight reached out to take it, only for the one with the katana to speak up.

"Are we really okay with this Captain Slater?"

"No comments from the peanut gallery," Slater said. "I like you, Goat Sin Gowther. Out of respect for your strength, and for the Seven Deadly Sins, I'll take this." He rested the helmet's horn on his shoulder. "But if we ever get ordered to take the head of one of the Seven Deadly Sins...well, never mind."

Then, he left, the other Holy Knights following.

"I'm surprised you did that Gowther," Meliodas said.

"Why?" Gowther asked.

"I thought you had pity for this thing," Meliodas said, walking over to the creature's hand. "I've never seen a monster like this before.

It's hands were about the size of a wagon, except that its fingers weren't fingers. They were arms, closer to human sized, but excessively muscular, and they each ended in another hand. There were also more arms about the same size as the ones it had for fingers on it shoulders. It's skin was a dark tan, like dry dirt, and Meliodas reached out, lifting one of the finger arms.

"Meliodas, it's not dead," Oswald warned.

"It's what!?" Ban asked just before the thing leapt up and backward, landing on its feet and letting out a groaning sound as four spots on the front of its torso began to swell up before growing faces.

"But you chopped off his head!" King gaped.

"Yes, it was already ornamental anyway, although it _was_ once human," Gowther said.

The four faces all roared as an upper body began to grow between them. It was human male with pale skin and blonde hair. However, it was staring lifelessly ahead, and was probably as decorative as the creature's original head had been.

"This is the shell of a former Holy Knight," Gowther said.

"I don't think we'll be talking this one out," Meliodas said.

"Then let's kill this thing," Ban said.

Meliodas nodded and they both shot forward, jumping and beginning to pummel the creature's faces, deforming and inverting them, only for them to pop back into their normal shape. Then, the creature slammed a fist into them, hurling them backward into King's pillow, which had grown into a giant, four-armed teddy bear.

"You idiots," King said. "You should always watch how your opponent will strike before charging in."

"Captain, maybe you should stop fighting barehanded," Ban suggested.

"Oh right," Meliodas said, drawing the sword Oswald had made for him. "I forgot I had this."

"You four keep it busy for a moment," Gowther said, picking up the young boy he had saved before, who had returned at some point, then turned, walking away.

Meliodas shrugged, then turned back to the creature and shot forward, black flames rolling along his sword blade as he leapt into the air.

"Enchant, Hellblaze!" Meliodas shouted, slashing and carving a deep gash into the creature, black flames raging from the wound.

"Drown him in that shit Captain!" Ban shouted.

"Right!" Meliodas nodded, jumping.

However, as he did, the human head called out softly, asking him to spare him. Meliodas froze and one of the tongues shot out, catching him, only for an arrow of light energy to impale the creature through the center of the human torso's chest. Ban instantly used a whip he had gotten off the ground to retrieve Meliodas as Oswald raised a hand toward the creature, extending his thumb out to the side of his hand before holding his arm out straight, his hand tilted so that his fingertips aligned with the human body's head in his line of sight.

"It should be..." he trailed off, closing his left eye for a moment before nodding.

Then, he raised his sword and crouched, twisting so his left side was toward the creature, holding the sword with both hands, the tip of the sword aimed at the creature. As he did, the creature roared, throwing a punch at Meliodas, which he moved to block, only for the sword to snap, Meliodas flying backward. Oswald sighed. He should have known it wouldn't last long without a proper place to forge it. he refocused on the creature, and after another moment, he shot forward, speeding past the others before jumping and driving his sword into the human torso's stomach. The creature roared in pain, falling backward to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Meliodas shouted. "He's still alive!"

Oswald yanked his sword out, a purple creature shaped sort of like a raindrop with roots extended from the bottom impaled on the end of it. He used his foot to push the thing off of his foot and crushed it.

"What was that?" Bana asked.

"Its core," Oswald said.

"Core?" Ban repeated.

Just then, the creature's body began to collapse, falling apart rapidly. Then, it was done. Bits of it remained behind, but as they all walked toward it, the human from the creature's chest sat up, groaning.

"What...happened?" he asked.

"Dale!" Meliodas gasped, running over. "Are you alright?"

"Well, I think I've been stabbed," the man said, staring at the wound in his stomach. "But...I feel like I've just woken from a terrible dream."

"You'll be okay," Oswald said. "But in the future, I'd advise you against eating or drinking anything weird."

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"He's the one who saved you," Meliodas said, eyeing Oswald suspiciously. "How'd you know where to strike?"

"And don't say it was a hunch," King added, his spear hovering in front of Oswald, entirely gold and with the head two-pronged.

"The truth?" Oswald asked. "I-"

"Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth called out from the top of a dangerously steep hill beside them, clutching a sword to her chest.

"Where did you get that sword?" Meliodas asked.

"Cain gave it to me," Elizabeth said, carefully making her way down the incline to them. "Take it. It's not that Liz wanted you to fight, she wanted you to live. She wanted you to have the sword so that she would never have to worry about losing you."

Meliodas was silent for a moment before smiling and nodding, accepting the sword. it was about two feet, with the blade being a double-edged triangle, a bowl-shaped guard that only extended a few inches past the edges of the blade, and a small dome pommel.

"Sorry mine broke," Oswald said.

"It's alright," Meliodas smiled. "I would have given it back for this one anyway."

Oswald nodded, then looked back to King, who hadn't moved his spear. "Can you put that away now?"

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked, looking between the two.

"Explain yourself," King said.

Oswald sighed. "That thing was a Holy Knight that was turning into a demon. The thing I took out of him was something like a seed."

"A demon seed?" Ban asked.

"Basically," Oswald nodded. "As for how I knew it was there, I could sense it. I can sense demonic power, like those other two Holy Knights that attacked Vaizel."

"Holy Knights attacked Vaizel?" Dale asked.

"You missed a lot," Oswald said. "The Holy Knights took over the kingdom from the royal family. We can fill you in later."

"Who are you?" King asked. "I mean really."

"I'm a blacksmith now," Oswald said.

"And before?" King asked.

"I'm a mistake," Oswald said, staring at the ground. "I was never supposed to be born, and when I was, it cost my mother her life. Then I was ostracized and beaten daily for years until I got away. I drifted for a while before eventually becoming a blacksmith."

"Your mother died in childbirth?" Ban asked. "Then that girl you mentioned that used to beat you up before, is there any chance that was your sister?"

"No," Oswald said. "I don't have any family. I'm an only child, and my father died before I was born."

"I see," Ban said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't sympathize with him!" King said. "He still hasn't told us anything!"

"He's told us enough, King," Ban said. "Put it away. He's not an enemy."

"We don't know that!" King said.

"Yes we do," Meliodas said. "He's been helping us since we met. If he was an enemy, he could have killed me when Ban and I were unconscious in Vaizel. Besides, he chose to save Dale, rather than kill him. So the least we can do is trust him for now. Besides, if he turns on us, we'll just kill him."

King sighed before nodding. "I guess. Fine. Whatever." He transformed his spear back into a pillow and lay against it. "We should get going. Diane's probably getting worried."

Meliodas and the others nodded and they all headed back to the bar. Then, they began to celebrate. Meaning that everyone besides Oswald, Gowther, and Elizabeth began to drink.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. As of now, I've started the manga, and am about halfway through the fight with Hendrickson.

* * *

Resting

Oswald spun around Dale as Dale slashed downward at him, then slashed in return. Dale deflected the strike with his sword, the one Oswald had originally given Meliodas, and had reforged after it broke, then stabbed at Oswald. Oswald blocked it and stepped forward, punching at Dale, who dropped under the punch, then moved to trip Oswald. Oswald jumped over it, then flipped, slashing downward at Dale. Dale twisted, blocking the blade and caught Oswald's arm. Oswald flipped, planting his feet, and spun, hurling Dale. As Dale crashed to the ground, King's small blades began to rain down around Oswald. The first few went unchecked, and shredded Oswald's shirt, though King kept them far enough away to keep him from being wounded, before Oswald spun, deflecting a few before managing to form his Heaven's Shield, blocking the rest. King relented in his assault as Dale reached Oswald, only for Oswald to spin, sweeping Dale's legs out from under him, then stab the ground beside his head as he landed.

"Impressive," Dale said. "You're really strong. You're at least Holy Knight Apprentice level, maybe almost Holy Knight level."

"Thanks," Oswald said. "I was a little worried you'd lose all your power after I took that thing out of you, but you're still really strong too."

"And yet I lost to a blacksmith," Dale chuckled.

"I'm heading back to the others," King said. "You might want to change your shirt."

"You're probably right," Oswald nodded, looking down at his practically shredded shirt.

He and Dale began to walk back toward the bar, King flying on ahead.

"So, you said that Guila is a part of a 'New Generation' of Holy Knights who all gained power suddenly?" Dale asked.

"That's what King said," Oswald nodded. "You said she's your daughter, right?"

Dale nodded. "So then, she probably has a demon seed as well."

"What did you do?" Oswald asked. "What _is_ the 'New Generation?'"

"They're experiments," Dale said. "They're false Holy Knights who gained power by drinking the blood of a demon."

Oswald nodded. "I thought it was something like that. The demon seed was in your stomach, so it had to be something you ate or drank."

Dale nodded as they reached the bar just as King dropped a shirt to Oswald before flying off to where Diane was drinking. Oswald sighed and pulled what remained of his shirt off.

"What's that?" Ban's voice asked from off to the side, Oswald glancing at him.

He followed Ban's line of sight to his own left shoulder, seeing what Ban was staring at. A circle on his shoulder with a pair of wings spreading out from the sides, formed from three waving lines each, then with a thin arrow, with the head barely bigger than the shaft, extending about two inches from the bottom of the circle.

"Is that a tattoo?" Ban asked, the others all looking over curiously, Meliodas's eyes widening a fraction of an inch.

Oswald raised his right hand to the mark, memories playing behind his eyes as he covered it with his hand. "It's a reminder of my sin. It's a mark of shame." He pulled on the shirt, covering the mark.

"Your sin?" Ban asked. "Hah! What do _you_ know about sin? We're the Seven Deadly Sins! We _embody_ sins."

"And my entire existence is sin," Oswald said. "I understand well enough, Ban. I killed my mother before I was even born."

Ban was silent for a moment before laughing. "Well alright then! You can be the eighth deadly sin! The Sin of Existence!" he began to laugh. "We just need to get you a creature to label you as!"

"You're too drunk Ban," Meliodas said. "Are you okay Oswald?"

"I'm fine," Oswald said. "He can't say anything I haven't heard before."

"Alright then," Meliodas said, turning to Gowther. "What're you thinking about Gowther?"

"We do not have any two members of the same race," Gowther said.

"We have three humans," Meliodas said. "Oswald, Liz, and Dale."

"I was not including Dale, since he is only staying with us for a short while," Gowther said. "Barring him, Oswald-"

"Gowther," Oswald said, suspecting what Gowther might say, and dreading it. "You looked through my memories, didn't you?"

"I did," Gowther nodded. "I wished to see if you were an enemy or not."

"If you've seen my memories, you should stop talking," Oswald said. "That's one secret that I intend to take to the grave with me, and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone."

"Very well," Gowther nodded.

"Wait, you're not human?" Meliodas asked.

"I don't think you can judge, can you?" Oswald asked. "You've been that age for at least ten years. Longer, probably."

Meliodas nodded. "That's fair. Anyway, I'm going back to drinking."

"Captain," Oswald said, Meliodas pausing. "I just want you to know, you were always my hero when I was growing up. You always followed your heart, and never let anyone tell you that you were wrong. Even if it meant being a traitor. I always wanted to be like you. You may be the Dragon Sin of Wrath, but I believe you are also the virtue of love."

Meliodas stared at him for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Thanks."

Then, he walked away. Oswald sighed and walked over to a table and sitting down. Elizabeth walked over with a mug of ale but he shook his head.

"I can't stomach ale," he said. "Do you have anything stronger?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment before turning to Meliodas. "Sir Meliodas, is there anything stronger than Ale in the bar?"

Everyone went silent, turning to stare at Oswald seriously. He raised an eyebrow as everything remained dead silent for several long seconds, even the breeze holding its breath.

"Challenge accepted," Meliodas said finally.

"Challenge?" Oswald asked as Meliodas headed for the door. "No, I'm not challenging anyone. I just don't like ale."

After a moment, Meliodas walked back out with a liquor bottle between each finger and a cheer rang out from the Sins who had been drinking, Oswald groaning and holding a hand to his face. He was going to regret asking. He just knew it.

* * *

Oswald groaned, trying to lift his arm, or his leg, or his head. Everything was spinning. For a moment, he wondered how he had ended up in such a sorry state. But then his hand closed around something and his head fell to the side, staring at the empty glass bottle and he groaned again as he remembered. After Meliodas had brought the bottles, he and the others had begun to drink heavily. Oswald had only meant to drink a little, but then Meliodas had all but forced him into a game of dares by threatening to fight him if he didn't do it, and whenever he failed to accomplish whatever task he was assigned, he had to drink. So, here he was, hung over, lying on the ground, and regretting his life choices.

"We're going to sneak into the capital and steal back my sword," Meliodas's voice said, drawing Oswald back to the present. "We may only have five of us, plus Oswald, but with those five the plan should be totally possible. Who's with me?"

"Too much trouble," Ban replied. "I'll pass."

"It's your own fault that it got stolen," King shrugged.

"It's your responsibility," Gowther agreed.

Meliodas was silent as Oswald sat up, only to see Meliodas dart over to Elizabeth, shoving his head up her skirt. "Comfort me."

"There there," Elizabeth said, patting his head through the material of her skirt, face bright red but not seeming too offended by his actions, which Oswald suspected was pretty common.

"Captain!" Diane shrieked, her head breaking through the wall where a window had been a moment before.

"I'll help," Oswald said, using a table to stand.

"You will?" Meliodas asked, turning to look at him.

"Yes," Oswald nodded. "I recognized your sword's handle back in Vaizel. It's a green snake curved into a circle with three spikes on its head and a ruby for an eye, right?"

"That's right," Meliodas nodded.

"Yeah, we definitely don't need that falling into the hands of someone feeding Holy Knight Apprentices demon blood," Oswald said. "We need to get that thing back before it's too late."

Meliodas nodded.

"Why?" Ban asked. "What's so special about it?"

"It's a key," Oswald said, everyone staring at him. "It open's Meliodas's stolen panty stash."

Everyone stared at him before turning to Meliodas.

"That's right," Meliodas nodded. "I worked hard to collect them."

"I don't know if you two are joking or not," Ban said before sighing heavily.

"We're joking," Meliodas said, everyone else falling off their seats dramatically. "The truth is that the hilt of my sword is a fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness."

"The Coffin of Eternal Darkness?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's a seal," Oswald said, staring down at the bar in front of himself. "Long ago, during the war between the five races, The Goddess Race used the coffin to seal away the Demon Clan, ending the war."

"So then, the Holy Knights really _do_ intend to unleash the Demon Clan!" Elizabeth gasped. "But why?"

"Holy War," Oswald said bitterly. "They want to restart the war against the Demon Clan, the war that brought the Holy Knights their name, rank, political power, and that was the cause of an entire generation of Holy Knights that put the current generation to shame. That generation was forged by the rigors and struggles of war. The generation now is soft in comparison. So, the Holy Knights mean to unleash the Demon Clan once again in order to use the war to gain power once again, as well as to justify their own existence. They're warriors with no enemy now. They seek to correct that mistake."

"They can't be that crazy," Ban said. "Right?"

"You tell me," Oswald said. "Everything I've said so far has been speculation."

"So then, if that's all true, and they already have your sword, then, do you think they've already released the seal, Sir Meliodas?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nah, it's a powerful seal," Meliodas said. "I'm sure if it was released there'd be some sort of sign."

Just then, a loud roaring began to reverberate through the bar.

"The sign!" Hawk shouted, sweating profusely. "The sign it's here!"

"You've just gotta take a dump," Meliodas said.

"I've got to go release the seal!" Hawk shouted, then sprinted out the door.

"But, wait, why do they need Elizabeth?" King asked.

"Because she's the final key to releasing the seal," a feminine voice said from behind Elizabeth.

Everyone spun, seeing a woman in a red dress with some kind of egg-shaped metal helmet around their head, before the woman set her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and vanished, taking Elizabeth with her. less than a second later, Meliodas landed where they had been, shouting in rage and grabbing his sword, sprinting out of the bar.

"What happened?" Diane asked, King flying out to her.

"Elizabeth was just taken away by someone!" King said.

"It was teleportation," Oswald said, standing and pulling his sword on. "She'll be in Liones now."

"Why there?" Ban asked.

"Because I can sense the Coffin of Eternal Darkness," Oswald said. "Have been sensing it since I woke up. It's almost open. It just requires the blood sacrifice."

"Blood sacrifice!?" Diane gasped.

"With a seal that strong, they needed a powerful spell," Oswald said. "Blood spells may be frowned upon, but there's no denying they're extremely powerful."

He walked outside as Meliodas asked Diane to get him to the Capital. Ban picked Meliodas up from behind, and then Gowther grabbed ban from behind. Then, Diane picked them up and skipped forward a few times before hurling them, sending them speeding away.

"Alright," Oswald said. "I guess we should get going too."

"Don't expect me to throw you," Diane said. "You'd die."

"Do either of you have another idea?" Oswald asked.

"I do," King said. "I can get you there in an instant."

"Well why the hell didn't you do that with Meliodas?" Oswald asked.

"He didn't give me a chance," King shrugged. He held two fingers to his lips and whistled, a small purple portal forming over him. A small black tail poked out of it, wiggling for a moment before an entire black and yellow dog-like creature fell through.

"Is that a dog?" Diane asked.

"Actually it's a Black Hound," King said. "It's a special kind of fairy that lives between the human world and the fairy realm. And he's an old friend of mine."

"And he's exactly what we need," Oswald said. "Black Hounds can teleport whatever they swallow to a different place. I'll go first."

King nodded and the Black Hound, Oslo King called him, grew until he was big enough to swallow Diane. Then, he lay down, opening his mouth, and Oswald quickly ran into his mouth and through the swirling purple portal at the back of his throat.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. As of now, I've started the manga, and am about halfway through the fight with Hendrickson.

* * *

Overwhelming Power

King nodded and the Black Hound, Oslo King called him, grew until he was big enough to swallow Diane. Then, he lay down, opening his mouth, and Oswald quickly ran into his mouth and through the swirling purple portal at the back of his throat. Of course, as soon as he was through, it was pitch dark and he tripped over something. He groaned, holding his foot for a moment before standing, a flame dancing to life in his hand. He was in what looked like a basement. However, as soon as he was facing away from where he came in, the ceiling of the tunnel ahead of him exploded downward, forming an opening through which a man with long brown hair and red armor dropped, staring at him as Oswald stared right back, skin crawling. Then, an older man, the same that had fought Meliodas when he lost control, dropped in behind him, staring.

"Who the hell are you?" the man in the red armor demanded.

Oswald's eyes rose to the opening, staring at Guila and Jericho, who stared right back. "I'm just a blacksmith. Guila, I heard your father made it home safely."

"He did," Guila nodded. "And he mentioned a blacksmith who helped him come home."

"Small world," Oswald said.

"You're the one who did it?" the older man asked, his odd leaf scimitar in hand.

"That's right," Oswald said. "I'm just trying to find my way out of this basement right now."

Just then, there was a blast of air and dust and Oswald sighed heavily as Diane's upper body appeared out of a tunnel behind him, getting stuck about halfway through the portal.

"I'm stuck!" Diane complained. "King, try pushing me through from behind!"

"You overestimate him," Oswald snorted, having seen the looks of longing and hopelessness King sent Diane's way when she wasn't looking.

"So you're with the Sins," the man in the red armor noted, drawing his own sword, Oswald doing the same.

"I was really hoping to get you all out of here before one of them tried to come through," Oswald said. "Especially after sensing your power."

"You don't seem overly powerful," the man said. "And you don't recognize me, so clearly you're not much of a threat."

"Don't let him fool you," Guila said. "He's got some ridiculous magical abilities."

"And he's good with that sword," Jericho said. "Be careful Grandmaster Dreyfus."

"Dreyfus?" Oswald asked. "Head of the Holy Knights in Liones?"

"That's right," Dreyfus nodded.

"Just my luck," Oswald sighed. "I just got here and I'm already about to die."

"Allow me," Jericho said. "I owe him for the last time anyway!"

She shot forward, sword pulled back, only for Diane's hand to grab Oswald around the waist, yanking him back as she swung Gideon, the entire side of the building, apparently a mansion, they were in exploding. She set Oswald down as they stared at the Holy Knights, all standing on pillars of stone, except Jericho, who was unconscious, being held by the ankle by a Holy Knight with pink hair, silver and blue armor, and a zig-zagged sword with the end split and crossed.

"Passing out when the battle's only just begun?" the Holy Knight asked. "Pathetic."

He dropped Jericho, who flipped, kicking off of his pillar and landing on her own.

"Shut up Gilthunder!" Jericho snapped.

Gilthunder slashed his sword several times before stopping with it upside down in front of himself, his pure Holy Knight magical energy spiking rapidly. "Thunderbolt Execution."

"Heaven's Shield!" Oswald said, holding up a hand, his shield flashing into existence just before a massive wall of lightning as big around as two of his shield crashed down on it, parting around it and missing him and Diane.

Oswald fell to one knee and his free hand instantly, sweat forming within seconds as he grunted in effort, struggling to hold the blast back with only three shields and the flower left. Then, another Holy Knight raised a long drill-like lance and a pitch black tornado joined the lightning, blasting through the three shields instantly, the flower beginning to crack as Oswald fought to hold the attack off. Finally, just as the flower was about to shatter, the building above Diane ripped free and she was sucked out of the tunnel, only to flip, slamming Gideon into the ground.

"Ground Gladius!" she shouted.

A massive, jagged blade of stone exploded up from the ground, slamming into the Holy Knight that had beaten Meliodas, before continuing to grow until it was about two hundred feet tall. She sighed, Oswald letting the shield fade, then stood, dusting himself off and wiping sweat off his forehead.

"You guys really are monsters," Oswald said. "Guila and Jericho can't compare to the real deal, that's for sure."

"Jericho was right about your magic power," Gilthunder said. "That barrier was quite impressive."

"You're the first person in a very, very long time to break through it completely," Oswald said. "You're scary."

"Even now you do not budge an inch," Dreyfus said. "Your courage is truly commendable. Especially for one who is not even a knight, let alone a sin. Serpent Sin Diane, allow your death to ring the bell that ushers in a Holy War."

"Our deaths won't do shit," Oswald said. "Hendrickson unleashing the Demon Clan as he plans to, on the other hand, will _definitely_ start a war."

"He plans to what!?" the Holy Knight with the wind power asked.

"You might want to stop him," Oswald said.

The Holy Knights, minus Dreyfus, all grit their teeth, preparing themselves for a fight. Oswald shrugged, turning slightly and holding his sword at the ready by his side.

"Suit yourselves," Oswald said. "We'll give you only one chance. Give Elizabeth back to us and we'll be on our way."

Gilthunder smirked. "Why would we-"

"Give our friend back to us right now!" Diane demanded.

"The princess is your friend?" Dreyfus asked. "Nonsense."

"Ground Gladius!" Diane shouted, slamming her hammer down, only for the massive stone blade to slam into Dreyfus's sword blade and part around it a few inches before stopping.

"No way!" Jericho gasped.

"That much power in one sword?" Guila gaped.

"You truly are worthy of your title," Oswald said.

"Magical power emanates from one's own indominable will, mind, and experiences," Dreyfus said. "I shall annihilate all those who would thwart the realization of my ideals, and forge onward! The name of my magical power, born of my will, is Break!"

The Ground Gladius exploded apart and Dreyfus pulled his sword back beside himself.

"Now die!" Dreyfus shouted, stabbing at Diane.

Oswald jumped, his shield once again flashing into existence, only for a beam of light to shoot off of Dreyfus's blade, punch completely through the shield in the blink of an eye, then shave off a layer of skin along the outside of his arm before stabbing Diane through the right side of her abdomen. It wasn't a fatal spot, but it would bleed a lot if not tended to.

"Amazing!" Guila breathed.

"This can't...be real!" the Holy Knight with the wind powers gaped.

"You deflected my attack," Dreyfus noted. "Not bad."

"You're a monster," Oswald said, flexing his arm, wincing at the pain his missing skin caused, though it wasn't deep enough to bleed much. "No one has _ever_ punched clean through them all with such ease. You're barely even human."

"Well that's to be expected from the greatest Grand Master in the kingdom!" a high-pitched voice said as a small creature consisting of a helmet with a pair of horns, a red cloth hanging from it, and a pair of twig-sized arms and legs, flew down from the top of the remaining Ground Gladius where the older Holy Knight had been impaled a moment before, now missing.

"Sir Helbram, you managed to survive that?" Jericho asked.

"You see, my substitution spell kicked in at just the right time," the creature said before a cloud of dust shot off of it and it transformed back into the Holy Knight. "Some of my men died in the impact, but I can always replace them."

"You make me sick," Oswald spat.

"Helbram, is the princess in the kingdom right now?" Dreyfus asked.

"Who knows," Helbram shrugged.

"You do," Oswald accused. "You're the one who stole Meliodas's sword in Vaizel. the same sword that's a key to the Coffin of Eternal Darkness, which was used to seal away the Demon Clan. And you're also probably the one who sent that teleporting Holy Knight with the metal mask to steal Elizabeth and bring her back here without anyone knowing."

"That's nonsense," Helbram said.

"No, he's right," Diane said, struggling to stand. "It was one of your people who took away our friend."

"Oh, she survived," Helbram said.

"Just stay down!" the Holy Knight with the wind powers pleaded. "Give up already!"

"Giants are a lot tougher than any of you puny little humans give us credit for!" Diane shouted, charging, only for Dreyfus to use his attack, Silken Skewer, a second time, this time punching through her right leg.

Then, as Diane was falling, Dreyfus slashed upward.

"Demolishing attack!" Dreyfus shouted, a massive explosion of white energy exploding out of the ground below Diane, launching her away and sending her crashing down in the city.

"That's the direction of...No! Zeal!" Guila sprinted after Diane instantly.

Oswald allowed her to pass, keeping his eyes on Dreyfus, who was watching him as he pulled a small blue orb off of the back of his armor's collar.

"I am Holy Knight Grand Master Dreyfus," Dreyfus said, voice magically relayed through the city. "People of Liones, listen to me. We've been infiltrated by traitors known as the Seven Deadly Sins, and they've begun ransacking the kingdom. The Holy War of ancient legend is finally about to begin! But have no fear. Liones will be guarded by the power of the Holy Knights! For those who can fight, take up arms and make your stand!" He put the stone away and turned to Helbram. "Go and ensure our villain plays her part."

"Of course Grand Master," Helbram bowed before turning and flying after Diane with Jericho.

"Now, to deal with you," Dreyfus said. "You're not one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but you _are_ one of their allies, so I cannot allow you to live. However, I shall make it so you never existed, that way your name will not be slandered in such a way as to label you a villain."

"I think I'll just survive this battle instead," Oswald said, crouching and readying himself. "I rather enjoy being alive."

"That is not an option," Dreyfus said, also readying himself.

Both remained motionless for a moment before Dreyfus moved to strike. However, as he did, the ground between them erupted into a sea of flames and Oswald spun, sprinting away as fast as he could.

"He ran away," Gilthunder said. "Shall I chase him?"

"No," Dreyfus said. "Let us go and deal with the Sins for now."

The other two nodded and turned toward Diane again, following Helbram and Jericho.

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	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. As of now, I've started the manga, and am about halfway through the fight with Hendrickson.

* * *

Allies

Oswald slowed to a stop as he entered a side street where Holy Knights were waiting for something, probably one of the Sins. They all turned toward Oswald as he stepped into the street.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them demanded.

Oswald's eyes scanned over the ranks of the Holy Knights. There were a lot. Probably thirty or forty.

"I'm just a blacksmith," Oswald said.

Just then, the ground over where Diane had gone all but exploded, massive tree roots erupting out of the ground and smashing down on something like tentacles. Oswald swallowed hard.

"I don't have time for this," Oswald growled, sprinting forward.

He slashed his way past five of the Holy Knights before one of them blocked his blade. However, he spun around the Holy Knight and slashed him up the back before drilling a punch into the next, sending him exploding backward through three more. Then, he jumped, holding his left hand out and forming Heaven's Shield, landing on it and then jumping again, reaching a rooftop before letting the shield fade and beginning to run. He headed toward the castle, deciding that should be the first place he look. However, before he could get there, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and hurled himself tot he side, an arrow hitting the roof ahead of him and exploding, throwing him backward. He crashed into the edge of a roof, grunting as the air was knocked out of him, then fell to the street, landing in a heap and slowly beginning to push himself back up. As he did, three Holy Knights landed around him, his skin coming alive with needle pricks.

"That was easy," one with a bow grinned, an arrow aimed at the back of Oswald's head.

"I really _was_ expecting a little more of a challenge against someone working alongside the Seven Deadly Sins," another, this one with a broadsword that had a rectangular blade with all three exposed sides sharpened, chuckled, the sword resting on his shoulder.

"Well," Oswald sighed. "I suppose I'd better not disappoint you three."

He grit his teeth, groaning. Then, in a massive thundering crash, the three Second Generation Holy Knights' blood splattered across the alleyway they were in. Oswald pushed himself up to his feet, sighing and dusting himself off, picking up the broadsword as he walked out of the alleyway toward the castle again. However, before he had gotten far, he stopped as a Holy Knight that stood about seven feet tall and was solid muscle appeared, brandishing a great sword in one hand. He slashed downward at Oswald and Oswald swung the broad sword, the Holy Knight's sword smashing against the much larger blade, but also snapping it off. Then, Oswald stepped forward, drilling a punch into the Holy Knight and sending him crashing backward into a wall. He pushed out of it, grinning wickedly and cracking his knuckles, beginning to grow even more.

"Impressive ability," Oswald noted. "What's it called?"

"It's called Mass," the Holy Knight said.

"I like it," Oswald nodded. "It's useful. I'm definitely not strong enough for this fight."

The Holy Knight grinned victoriously, swinging a punch down at Oswald, only for the bones of his hand to shatter against Oswald's Heaven's Shield. The Holy Knight shouted in pain, staggering backward and shrinking, stopping as he reached an unimpressive four feet tall and his muscle evaporated, leaving him scrawny and pathetic.

"What gives!?" the Holy Knight demands in a high, wavering voice. "I thought you said you weren't strong enough to beat me!"

"Strength isn't everything," Oswald said. "My shield can block a lot worse than your fist." He strode forward, the Holy Knight stepping into the way only for Oswald to shove him aside. "I won't kill you, but in exchange I suggest you stay out of my way."

Then, he walked away, leaving the Holy Knight behind. He walked through the streets in silence. The other Holy Knights didn't seem to have followed him, and he seemed to be in an evacuated area. As the rounded the next corner, he saw why. Up ahead, there was a young man with red hair and shining gold armor attacking Hendrickson from behind with a sword that had a small cross on the pommel and both ends of the golden guard. He was moving in a blur, but Hendrickson was easily blocking it. Then, he turned, slashing and slamming his tanto into the stranger's sword, sending him blasting into the riverbank below the bridge they were fighting on. As the man began to stand, Hendrickson kicked him, sending him blasting backward. Both said something, though Oswald was still too far away to hear, before Hendrickson raised his tanto, black flames rolling along it, then growing, swarming up into the air and forming a fireball, which flew at Hendrickson's opponent.

As Oswald watched the attack, his skin all but screamed at him. There was something very wrong. However, before he could reach Hendrickson's opponent, and not for lack of trying, the spell suddenly reversed direction, crashing into Hendrickson instead. Hendrickson flew backward, exploding into the side of the bridge, the dust sweeping out to fill the area.

"Well, you've learned some pretty troubling magic since I last saw you," Meliodas's voice said from ahead of Oswald, who slowed to a stop beside Meliodas and the stranger, handing the stranger his sword before drawing his own.

"I know that voice," Hendrickson said. "Could it be?"

"It's me alright," Meliodas said as the dust finished settling. "And I'm not going to leave without Elizabeth."

"Don't waste your energy, Meliodas," Oswald said. "Leave Hendrickson to us. You go and find your princess."

"You sure?" Meliodas asked.

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "With my shield and this guy's skill with a blade, we'll be fine."

"I'm Arthur," the stranger said.

"Oswald," Oswald said. "And we're about to have company."

His eyes flicked up at the air over them where a storm cloud was forming. Meliodas nodded just as a bolt of lightning shot down, transforming into Gilthunder just in time for Meliodas to block the blade. At the same time, Arthur and Oswald lunged forward, both slashing rapidly, Hendrickson backpedaling as he fended them off. After a moment, Hendrickson stabbed at Oswald and Oswald spun, ducking under the blade and slashing upward at Hendrickson. He jumped backward, then stepped forward, slashing again, only for Arthur to block it. Oswald flipped over Hendrickson and slashed downward at him, only for Hendrickson to shove Arthur's blade up into Oswald's blocking the strike before jumping and slamming a kick into Oswald, launching him away. Oswald bounced off the ground once before flipping and driving his sword down into the ground, skidding to a stop. He raised his head slowly, glaring at Hendrickson just before Arthur and Meliodas also skidded to a stop beside him.

"No matter what you do, you cannot change your situation," Hendrickson said. "You attacked the kingdom with only a handful of allies, and with no plan. No matter how you look at it, you cannot defeat us, and you cannot save Princess Eliz-"

He was cut off by Meliodas's sword crashing into his own, seemingly at the same time as Gilthunder's, sending both Holy knights skidding backward, a shallow cut on their cheeks.

"Don't waste your breath," Meliodas snarled. "I'd happily give my life to defend Elizabeth."

"And this is why you were always my hero," Oswald said, walking past Meliodas. "No one can stop you when it's for Elizabeth. They never could."

"Wait...what?" Meliodas blinked.

"My turn," Oswald said, streaking forward, sword held in both hands. "Allow me to show you something I picked up in Vaizel. Godspeed Ten Slashes!"

He slashed in a blur, Hendrickson blocking eight of the strikes before the last two tore through the armor on his torso, hurling him backward in a spray of blood. Gilthunder moved to slash Oswald, but Oswald spun, forming Heaven's Shield in the path of Gilthunder's sword, blocking the slash before Meliodas slammed a kick into the side of Gilthunder's head, launching him away from Oswald. Off to the side, Hendrickson began to stand, spitting blood out and glaring at Oswald.

"You're holding back," Hendrickson accused.

"So are you," Oswald returned, raising his sword to point it at Hendrickson. "Maybe you should take this a little more seriously."

Murder painted itself across Hendrickson's features and his hand clenched his tanto so hard it shook, the blade rattling in the grip. Oswald smirked. Shoddy workmanship. Oswald sped forward, Hendrickson moving to meet him, and their swords began to clash rapidly, ringing almost musically as they did, both stepping and spinning around each other in a sort of dance.

"His skill's on a whole other level now!" Arthur gaped as he watched the two fight.

As Oswald was spinning around Hendrickson, his skin was suddenly flooded by pins and needles so bad it nearly made him drop his sword. He caught a glimpse of Meliodas, with darkness coating his fingers, holding the tip of Gilthunder's sword, a black crest on his forehead. Then, Oswald's spin finished and his battle continued, his skin settling back down a moment later. After a couple more seconds, he was flipping over Hendrickson and saw Gilthunder and Meliodas flashing around the area, their blades clashing rapidly. Then, he finished his flip and blocked several slashes and stabs from Hendrickson before smirking and slamming his blade into the side of the base of Hendrickson's. There was a deafening crack and Hendrickson grunted in pain, releasing his weapon as he leapt backward. The hilt of his sword fell away in two pieces and the blade clattered to the ground, followed by the bracket holding it in place, and finally the anchor.

"Your blade was a lot more fragile than I expected," Oswald said. "Clearly even a Holy Knight Grand Master can't get a decent blade."

"Impressive," Hendrickson said. "You're quite good. However..." he held out a hand and a sword appeared beside him, his hand closing around the hilt. It was a fairly basic longsword, with an oval guard and a spike pommel, the whole thing about four feet long. "I am not restricted to a single blade."

"I didn't believe you were," Oswald said. "But it bought just enough time."

"It what?" Hendrickson growled.

He spun toward Meliodas just as Meliodas flipped over Gilthunder, black flames rolling along his sword's blade.

"One Thousand Divine Cuts!" Meliodas shouted, spinning toward the castle and slashing.

A massive arc of black flames shot out from his sword, tearing across the ground and expanding as it flew. Oswald's eyes swept down the road, seeing Princess Margaret. Then, just as he spotted her, Meliodas's attack flashed past her, catching a creature Oswald hadn't seen and obliterating it. Instantly, Gilthunder appeared beside Hendrickson just as Hendrickson began to move to attack Meliodas. Gilthunder's sword removed Hendrickson's sword arm, then slashed back upward, hurling Hendrickson into the air.

"Allow me to finish this," Gilthunder said. "I can finally avenge the death of my father. You have no idea ho long I've been waiting for this day!"

He shot forward, reaching Hendrickson just as he was about to hit the ground, only for Gilthunder to tear into him once again, this time in a continuous barrage of slashes. Finally, Hendrickson flipped, leaping high into the air and hurled several black fireballs at Gilthunder, but Gilthunder was enveloped in lightning, streaking forward and driving his sword into Hendrickson's abdomen.

"Feel my wrath!" Gilthunder roared, lightning exploding out of his sword, taking Hendrickson with it and expanding until it was almost as big around as Diane was tall.

Then, it exploded into the ground, leaving Hendrickson lying in the debris, bleeding profusely, badly burned, and with smoke curling off of him.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. As of now, I've started the manga, and am about halfway through the fight with Hendrickson.

* * *

Price

Oswald crouched on the top of the wall, watching the city in silence. Twenty. Forty. Fifty five. There were so many New Generation Holy Knights he was starting to lose count. Guila had agreed to allow Ban to remove her Demon Seed. Jericho, once Oswald had woken her up after the fight with Hendrickson and explained what was going on, had refused, saying she needed the power in order to prove that she's a better Holy Knight than her brother. Oswald planned to have Ban take it out of her anyway, but he hadn't bothered telling her that. That left dozens more to find and purify before they could mutate, and then there was also Hendrickson. As they had left the battlefield and walked down the road toward the castle, Oswald could still sense him, despite the others arguing that he was definitely dead. Only Merlin seemed to agree with Oswald. Or at least, after she got done dealing with the teleporting mage, Vivian, and revealed her identity, she did.

Merlin was a bit...unique. Oswald could sense her too, but not the same way as he could sense demonic power. To his senses, she felt confused. Mixed up. In fact, it so closely resembled another power he knew of, that he was a little afraid to ask her what she was. Of course, before he had gotten the chance, she had teleported them all, dropping him and him alone on the outer wall of the castle. He assumed the rest of them were with Elizabeth right now, but he couldn't be sure. And he understood his one task was to keep watch for any interruptions. him being on the wall of the castle simply allowed him to figure out that the others were somewhere inside.

Oswald sighed, sweeping his gaze over the ground. Suddenly, his entire body jerked and burned like he was on fire. His eyes widened and he tried to scream, but he couldn't. A power so overwhelming it made it impossible for him to breath began to press down on him, the presence seeming to focus even more intently on him after a moment. Pressure began to build up inside of him, burning and squeezing his body. It centralized itself in his head, making it feel like his head might pop at any moment. Then, it was gone.

"W...What the...hell?" he panted, sweat pouring down his body. "What...was that?"

He stood, beginning to turn toward the castle, only to freeze as he spotted a more immediate threat. Hendrickson. He had darkness spread across his torso, like when Meliodas used his demonic power, and he had reattached his arm. He raised the sword he had picked up at the end of their fight and grinned wickedly. Oswald swore, holding out both arms and shoving all the power he could at one time into Heaven's Shield, forming a gigantic version of it, blocking the shockwave Hendrickson caused as he slashed. Five of the shields shattered, but the attack failed. Oswald let the shield fade and drew his sword, standing, glaring down at Hendrickson.

"You just don't know when to quit," Oswald growled, spiking his power a second time, this time as a warning signal to the others.

Hendrickson raised his left hand in front of his face just as the wall to Oswald's right exploded outward, Meliodas stepping into view, the King's bedroom on the other side of the hole. Just as Oswald turned toward it, Guila and Jericho both collapsed, screaming and clutching at their throats.

"Dammit!" Oswald swore, darting into the room. "Where the hell's Ban when we need him!"

Just then, Jericho's scream went silent, he armor exploding off of her as her body swelled and deformed, a massive monstrous form much like Dale's beginning to form, Jericho's upper body exposed in the monster's chest. The monster was about the same size as Diane, with a mouth just above Jericho, then a pointed nose above that. It didn't have any eyes, but Oswald seriously doubted that mattered.

It lunged at King instantly and Diane stepped into the way, grabbing its forearms and struggling to hold it back. Oswald prepared to remove the Demon Seed, but before he could, Guila went silent as well. He spun, only to see Gowther kneeling beside her, a stream of pink energy extended from his hand to her forehead. Oswald turned back to Jericho as Diane turned, hurling her out through the wall and off the castle. Oswald swore, rushing to the hole in the wall and looking down, and seeing Meliodas and Gilthunder had both gone to face Hendrickson. Oswald turned back to where Jericho was pushing herself up, the monster she was stuck in roaring. He jumped off the wall, falling toward her quickly.

"Sorry about this Jericho," Oswald growled. "Try not to be too mad!"

He drove his sword into the top of the monster's head, dragging it to the ground before wrenching it out and spinning, driving the blade into Jericho's abdomen. Then, he ripped it back out, swinging it around and smashing the Demon Seed against the ground in a splatter of dark blood. The monster's body crumbled instantly, Oswald catching Jericho and kneeling, sighing as he set her down.

"There you are," Ban's voice said from behind him, Oswald turning his head slightly.

"Ban, the New Generation are out of control," Oswald said. "You need to get the Demon Seeds out of them."

Ban remained silent. Oswald stared at the object in his hand, a metal three-part pole that was connected by chains, meant to be used sort of like extended nunchucks. He looked up to Ban's eyes, seeing the serious and calculating look he was giving him.

"W...What...happened?" Jericho asked, stirring slightly.

"Your demon blood formed something like a Demon Seed inside of your stomach, which then mutated you into a sort of half-demon," Oswald said, turning away from Ban and gently setting Jericho against the side of the castle. "I managed to take it out, but you need to rest. Try not to move or you'll bleed. Here." He pulled his shirt off and pressed it against the stab wound in her stomach, Jericho shouting in pain, but placing her hand over his, applying pressure as well. "Sorry I couldn't do it without stabbing you."

"It's alright," Jericho said. "Thank you for saving me."

"I've got to go," Oswald said. "Rest here. Someone will be along soon."

Jericho nodded and Oswald stood, picking up his sword and turning to Ban.

"You're getting funny ideas aren't you?" Hawk was asking Ban from beside him.

"Hawk," Oswald said, glancing over Ban's shoulder, seeing Meliodas and Gilthunder both lying on the ground, Margaret kneeling beside Gil. "Meliodas is wounded. Go and get him and Gilthunder and take them to King."

Hawke looked around before shouting in fear and taking off toward Meliodas at a sprint. Oswald turned back to Ban.

"Who told you to kill me?" Oswald asked. "You didn't care whether I was there or not before, so whose orders are you following?"

"A member of the Goddess Race," Ban said. "I used the Horn of Cernunnos to ask for them to bring Elaine back to life, and one of them told me that they could revive her, but would only do so if I killed either you or Meliodas. Meliodas I can understand, since I'm pretty sure he's a member of the Demon Clan, but you...You're supposedly a blacksmith. I can't figure out why they'd want me to kill a human. But since I like you less than Meliodas, you're the obvious choice."

"I'm also a lot weaker than Meliodas, making me the smarter choice all around," Oswald said. "So, that's what I was feeling. Well, the first thing you should know is that it wasn't some random member of the Goddess Race. The Horn of Cernunnos only contacts one member. The leader of the Goddess Race, known as the Supreme Deity. The second thing you should know, is that she lied to you. She can't revive Elaine. There are very few ways to do it, but the Goddess Race is incapable of doing it."

"Maybe, maybe not," Ban said. "I don't know if I believe you, since you've been claiming to be human and clearly that's a lie."

"I never said I was human," Oswald corrected. "I said I was a blacksmith. You all just assumed that I was human. Any race can be a blacksmith. It's a profession, not an ethnicity. You're correct. I'm not a human. I'm a mistake. As I told you before, my entire existence is sin. Conception to death, all I am is sin."

"Then I'd be justified in killing you," Ban said.

"Entirely," Oswald nodded. "But you wouldn't see Elaine again. The Supreme Deity doesn't care about what you want, or about whoever Elaine is. The Supreme Deity killed her own daughter and cursed the man her daughter loved, just because her daughter disobeyed her. The Goddess Race aren't the saviors, or the purely good beings the world believes. During the last Holy War, all they wanted was to destroy the Demon Clan in order to clear the way for them to take over the world. The war only ended because their most powerful warrior died, leaving them demoralized and unable to continue fighting, so instead they sacrificed their power to seal the Demon Clan away in order to keep the Demon Clan from wiping them out instead."

"I take it you were there," Ban said.

Oswald looked over at the city, where the New Generation Holy Knights were still rampaging. "If you're going to fight me, hurry up. But after the fight, I want your word that if you win, you'll stop the New Generation Holy Knights without killing them. And don't trust the Goddess Race. Destroy the Horn of Cernunnos. The Supreme Deity can't be allowed to manipulate anyone else."

"You have my word about the New Generation," Ban said. "And if the Goddess Race can't bring Elaine back, I'll definitely trash their stuff."

Oswald nodded. "Alright then. Seal."

A glowing ring of white light appeared around Ban before shrinking into him. Ban blinked, then swung his weapon, only to growl in frustration.

"You can't use your magic power," Oswald said. "Only your physical skills will respond until I die or release the seal."

"Fine then," Ban snarled. "Let's go!"

He leapt at Oswald, swiping at him from above, only for Oswald to catch the weapon, then push kick Ban, sending him crashing backward into the ground. He tossed Ban's weapon aside as Ban stared at him in shock.

"If you knew who I really am, you wouldn't have been so hasty to challenge me, or so careless in how you went about it," Oswald said. "I don't have time to deal with you Ban. Nor do I intend to die just because the Supreme Deity doesn't deign to allow my existence to continue. If she wants me dead, she can come down here and crush me herself. Otherwise, I intend to continue being a stain on the world the Supreme Deity wants to believe is hers. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a city to save. Feel free to help if you want."

He waved a hand, the seal on Ban's power breaking before Oswald turned and leapt away from the castle, landing on a building and taking off at a sprint. He moved quickly, moving from one New Generation to the next, pausing only just long enough to impale the Demon Seed and fling it into the air before moving on. As he did, Ban was moving in from the other side, using his powers to do the same thing. Then, each that was sent into the air was killed by King's small blades. They made very quick work of the creatures, and within a matter of minutes, Oswald and Ban removed the last two Demon Seeds and met in the middle. Oswald blocked the magic whip Ban tried to rip his hear tout with using a small Heaven's Shield the size of a normal shield, then sliced off Ban's right arm as he passed, the arm spinning to the ground with his weapon.

"Ban, we need to deal with Hendrickson before he can revive the Demon Clan," Oswald said. "If you still intend to kill me after that, I'll fight you."

"Alright," Ban said. "That's fair. Can you sense Hendrickson?"

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "He's in the mansion over there." Oswald pointed to the building he and Diane had been teleported into.

"Alright," Ban nodded, his arm reattached. "Let's go help the Captain."

Oswald nodded and they turned, both of them sprinting toward the building, King flying along above them.

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	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters. As of now, I've started the manga, and am about halfway through the fight with Hendrickson.

* * *

Final Battle

Oswald landed on his feet just as Meliodas tore into Hendrickson, who was pinned between a pair of massive stone fists, rapidly, smashing the fists and sending Hendrickson crashing to the ground. As Hendrickson pushed himself up, Oswald walked forward, sword at his side. Hendrickson rounded on him, grinning wickedly, and lunged, slashing. Oswald deflected the slash and returned one of his own, Hendrickson catching his arm, only for Oswald to slam a knee into Hendrickson's groin, sending him staggering backward. Then, he jumped, spinning and slamming a foot into Hendrickson's chest, sending him exploding into the cliff behind him. The cliff crumbled instantly, revealing a massive, heavily obese, red-skinned demon hanging from hooks and chains in a chamber just inside the cliff.

"What the hell is that?" King gaped.

"It's so fat!" Diane said.

"No way," Ban breathed. "It can't be."

"It's a Red Demon," Oswald said calmly. "It's the source of the Demon Seeds that mutated the New Generation."

"That explains a lot," Meliodas said.

"Oh Hendy, where'd you get that thing?" Ban asked sweetly.

"Twenty years ago, I found this corpse in the burned ruins of the Fairy King's Forest," Hendrickson said. "Since then, I've been using it for my experiments. And after all that time, I finally found success. I was able to create this recreation of the demon's power!"

Tendrils of darkness shot off of his body, lashing out at Oswald and the others. King, Meliodas, and Oswald avoided the tendrils, and Diane blocked it with Gideon. Ban, however, allowed himself to be impaled.

"One down!" Hendrickson grinned, only for Ban to sprint forward along the tendril.

"If the Red Demon's power is your only ace-in-the-hole, then you'll never win," Ban smirked. "BECAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO KILLED THAT FAT FREAK! ! !" He slammed a fist down on Hendrickson's head and sent him exploding down through the ground rapidly.

"Nicely done Ban," Oswald said.

"I detect a slight breeze," Gowther reported. "There must be a subterranean cave further down."

"Let's go," Meliodas said cheerfully.

"But I don't think I'll fit," Diane said.

"You stay up here and keep watch," King said as he, Meliodas, Gowther, and Ban dropped into the hole.

"I'll stay up here too," Oswald said, turning away from the hole just as the rest of the kingdom's Holy Knights arrived, Gilthunder, Guila, and Dale at the front.

Oswald opened his mouth to speak only for his entire body to lock up, his skin feeling like he was being stung by a thousand wasps endlessly. He forced his body to unlock and spun toward the hole, forming Heaven's Shield just in time for the ground to explode, the concussion shattering two shields and sending him skidding backward, Diane barely resisting being thrown from behind him. Meliodas and Gowther landed on either side of Oswald on their feet as Diane caught King, who was out cold, and Ban's lower half crashed to the ground behind Oswald. Oswald allowed his shield to fade and watched as the thing setting his senses off walked out of the dust. It was Hendrickson, except that his entire body was an ashen grey, like stone, with cracks over his right shoulder and left forearm. On his back were a pair of short wings, both probably two feet at most, and from his head, standing straight up, were a pair of horns. His lower body was covered by darkness, with claws on the ends of his toes, and his eyes had turned black with yellow irises and slit pupils.

"Meliodas, please tell me he didn't ingest the blood of a Grey Demon too," Oswald said.

"He did," Meliodas nodded.

"Shit," Oswald swallowed hard. "Mixed with his already monstrous power, he's got to be pushing Commandment level by now."

"Probably," Meliodas nodded. "After this fight, you and I are going to have a serious talk about your history."

"You'll have to wait," Oswald said. "Ban and I have some unfinished business first."

Meliodas nodded and both crouched, readying themselves as Oswald condensed his Heaven's Shield to the side of a normal one beside his left forearm, using it like a normal shield. Hendrickson looked around slowly until he spotted Elizabeth. Meliodas took off instantly.

"He's going after Elizabeth!" Meliodas shouted. "Don't let him near her!"

He stabbed at Hendrickson, but the sword barely broke the skin before stopping. Hendrickson backhanded Meliodas and sent him blasting along the ground. Gowther moved to attack Hendrickson, but Hendrickson appeared behind him, smashing his head off of his body, the head bouncing away as the body collapsed.

"Lord Hendrickson!" A Holy Knight shouted. "Please stop! You are under suspicion of betraying the kingdom! If you continue to resist, we'll have to attack you!"

"You won't be able to scratch him," Oswald said taking a step forward only to stop as a tiny orb of darkness appeared beside Hendrickson's head. "Oh no."

More began to appear in a cloud around Hendrickson before Hendrickson swung his arms outward, the orbs streaking into the sky and beginning to fall like snow.

"Dark Snow," Hendrickson said as Oswald began to duck and dart around the orbs, careful not to touch any.

"Don't let them touch you!" Oswald shouted.

"Why?" a Holy Knight asked, just before one hit his chest and his entire body turned black as he collapsed, dead.

"He's dead!" Gilthunder gasped.

"It's a death spell!" Oswald shouted.

The other Holy Knights began to dodge around the orbs as best they could, only for Hendrickson to shoot forward, jumping and ripping two Holy Knights' heads off on the way up, then two more just before landing. Oswald growled in annoyance.

"Heaven's Shield!"

A giant shield formed over the battlefield, starting low and moving upward, the orbs that hit it dispersing, more beginning to form and fall above the shield, failing to break through.

"Get him!" Oswald shouted.

"Overpower!" the Roars of Dawn leader, who was covered in gashes, shouted, Hendrickson freezing.

Then, the Holy Knight slammed his massive blade into Hendrickson, launching him. The Roars of Dawn member with the katana, Simon the first one called him, spun, slashing Hendrickson twice across the back and hurling him again just before a Holy Knight that wore blue and had silver hair sent several massive ice spikes exploding into Hendrickson's abdomen before forming a massive blizzard of sharpened ice chunks, which slammed into Hendrickson and launched him into the air. Guila and Gilthunder stepped forward, Guila blasting Hendrickson from below as Gilthunder blasted him with lightning from above. However, as the dust began to clear, Hendrickson stood before them, completely unscathed and face empty of emotion.

"We didn't even scratch him!?" the Holy Knight that controlled ice gaped.

"You don't have the power to," Oswald said, walking forward, finally having blocked the last of the Dark Snow. "None of you are powerful enough. Leave this to us."

"We'll handle things from here," Meliodas said. "So, are you going to show us what you can really do?"

"I don't have much choice," Oswald said, reaching up and ripping his shirt off. "There. That's better."

Meliodas opened his mouth to ask what he meant, only for a pair of wings to suddenly burst out of Oswald's back in a spray of blood, both reaching out about the length of his arms before flapping once to flick the blood off of themselves. Oswald sighed in relief and cracked his neck, opening his now golden-brown eyes, displaying the triskelion in the center of them.

"Think you can keep up Meliodas?" Oswald asked.

"You know, that actually explains a lot," Meliodas said. "Let's go."

They both shot forward, Hendrickson making no move to stop them. As they neared him, Oswald's blade began to shine and Hendrickson shot to the side, barely escaping his slash. Meliodas reached him a moment later, black flames rolling along his blade and it tore into Hendrickson's side. Hendrickson shouted in pain, staggering forward, and Oswald landed in front of him, slashing upward at him. Hendrickson's right hand's claws extended and he deflected the blade with them before kicking Oswald, sending him bouncing backward several times before he flipped, wings snapping open and stopping him. Then, they flapped and he shot forward again just as Meliodas bounced past. Hendrickson shot forward, stabbing his right hand at Oswald, who flipped out of the way, slashing Hendrickson across the chest as he passed. Hendrickson roared in pain, the sound deafening, shaking the ground from volume alone, then flipped, slamming a kick into Meliodas, sending him blasting into Gilthunder. Oswald shot toward Hendrickson again, but Hendrickson appeared behind Oswald, grabbing him by the left wing and the back of his neck.

"Fuck!" Oswald cursed, just before screaming in agony as a ripping sound and a series of cracks and crunches echoed through the air, his wing tearing free.

Hendrickson spun, slamming it into Oswald's head and Oswald exploded into the ground, plowing a trench into it before stopping, sobbing from agony and rolling off of his back, his remaining wing broken in multiple places.

"Oswald!" Meliodas shouted. "Damn you Hendrickson!"

He shot forward, spinning around Hendrickson's slash before slashing Hendrickson from the right hip to the left shoulder, black flames exploding out of the gash, which crossed the still-present one Oswald had left, and sent Hendrickson flying backward. As Hendrickson crashed to the ground, the ground suddenly exploded upward in a massive, star-shaped pillar. Oswald grit his teeth, pushing himself up to his knees and screaming in agony. Everyone except King looked over at him in confusion just as his right wing emitted a series of cracks and crunches, jerking and twitching outward until it was fully extended again. Then, in another spray of blood, a new left wing burst out of his back. Oswald began to pant and gasp for breath for several seconds before standing.

"Dark Nebula!" Hendrickson said, a massive explosion of darkness going off, obliterating the pillar and surging outward.

"Heaven's Shield!" Oswald snarled, a massive shield forming over them all.

The explosion slammed into it hard, smashing through the shields rapidly until only the flower was left before finally halting. Finally, the explosion faded and Hendrickson exploded through the flower, touching down before streaking at Oswald. Oswald shot forward as well, sword once again shining, and slashed at Hendrickson, his blade crashing into Hendrickson's claws, both of them halting, the ground below them cracking as they fought to overpower each other. Then, Hendrickson's fist exploded into Oswald's chest, sending him flying backward again.

Oswald flipped, landing on his feet just as Meliodas split Hendrickson down the back with his flaming sword. Hendrickson staggered forward and spun, his left foot flashing up and smashing into Meliodas's jaw, sending him flying backward. He crashed to the ground beside Elizabeth as Oswald reached Hendrickson, only for Hendrickson to fold forward at the waist, his right foot swinging up and exploding into Oswald's chin, sending him flying. Oswald flipped, spreading his wings out to the sides just in time to crash down flat on his back, barely avoiding breaking his wings.

"Dead End," Hendrickson said, firing a massive sphere of darkness at Meliodas.

Oswald stood, only for darkness to begin to fall from above again. He shouted in rage, forming a shield above them all again, watching the Dead End fly toward Meliodas, who moved to stand in front of Elizabeth, the sphere moving too fast for them to dodge. Then, Hawk was suddenly in front of Meliodas. Then, the sphere hit. There was no time for goodbyes. There was no time for an escape. There was no time for anything. Oswald knew that attack was supposed to be a bit slower, but Hendrickson had sent it across the distance in little more than the blink of an eye. The explosion's concussion sent Holy Knights flying in every direction, though most of the stronger ones managed to stay put. As the smoke began to clear, it left Hawk standing protectively in front of Meliodas, completely black. The small tag in his ear broke off and fell to the ground before Hawk's body collapsed to its side. Elizabeth began to sob instantly, reaching out to Hawk, begging him to speak, to wake up. When she didn't get a response, she began to sob even harder, laying against Hawk.

"The Master's dead?" Ban roared, finally regenerated. "How dare you...do that...to such a...good person!? YOU PIECE OF SHIT! ! !"

Just then, light exploded from behind Meliodas, the force of it sending Hendrickson skidding backward, bits of his body breaking off. Oswald fell to his knees, the Heaven's Shield above them fading, thought the Dark Snow had ended, and simply stared at Elizabeth. It couldn't be. He had thought it was a coincidence. But yet, as he stared at her, the hair covering her right eye blew out of the way and he stared at the golden iris and triskelion design in it, the one that all members of the Goddess Race possessed. It was her. It was _the_ Elizabeth.

"So it's awakened," Hendrickson said. "The blood that flows through the veins of the Druid Priestess."

The light around Elizabeth condensed, forming the silhouette of four wings. Elizabeth began to speak, but Oswald's brain failed to process the words. It was struggling to grasp just who he was staring at. He was aware of Hendrickson trying to attack with a Dark Nebula, and aware of Elizabeth unleashing a wave of light that completely overpowered Hendrickson's attack and then flooded outward over the capital. He was aware of his wounds vanishing. Then, his body began to respond again. He flew over, landing in front of her and dropped to one knee, placing his opposite hand on the ground and bowing.

"Oswald?" Elizabeth blinked. "What are you...doing? Sir Meliodas?"

"I'm here," Meliodas said from beside her, the other Sins all gathering around as well, all of them healed.

"You all were badly wounded," Elizabeth breathed. "So...how..."

"Elizabeth, haven't you realized?" Diane asked.

Just then, several of the knights who'd been wounded and near death woke up. Elizabeth turned to Hawk hopefully, but Hawk remained as motionless as before.

"The dead are gone," Oswald said. "Even a Goddess can't bring them back so easily."

Elizabeth began to faint and Meliodas caught her as Oswald's skin began to crawl. He stood, turning away from them as Hendrickson stood from off to the side, smoking but fully regenerated. He turned toward them and Oswald stepped forward, raising his sword.

"You will not lay a hand on Her Highness," Oswald snarled. "Meliodas, let's end this."

"Don't go giving me orders just cause you've got wings," Meliodas said, stepping up beside him. "I'm still stronger than you."

Both shot forward, Oswald's sword shining as black flames rolled along Meliodas's, his Demon Crest forming as he tapped into his demonic power. Hendrickson shot forward, pulling his arms back, only for both to suddenly be ripped out of socket. Then, Meliodas and Oswald's blades tore through Hendrickson's torso in an "X" as they passed. A moment later, Diane's hammer slammed into him, launching him backward. He exploded into a cliff before shooting forward again, both arms resetting themselves in time to block Oswald and Meliodas's blades. He flipped, kicking both down into the ground before Chastiefol stabbed into his chest, smashing him into the cliff again. Then, as Hendrickson exploded off of the cliff, heading straight for Elizabeth, Oswald crashed down on his back with both fists, blood spraying out of Hendrickson's mouth. The assembled Holy Knights cheered as Hendrickson exploded into the ground, and Oswald caught his sword as it fell past, then dropped, stabbing downward at Hendrickson. However, Hendrickson had rolled out of the way. Before he could retaliate against Oswald, however, Meliodas slammed a foot into his face, sending him spinning away. Hendrickson bounced once before flipping and landing on his feet, snarling in rage.

"One last strike?" Meliodas asked as darkness began to gather on Hendrickson's hands, forming massive claws.

"Don't let those claws touch you," Oswald warned. "Even without breaking the skin, they'll kill you in an instant."

Meliodas nodded and they both exploded off the ground, streaking forward. Hendrickson roared, charging at them, staying low to the ground, claws poised to strike. Then, they were within range. Hendrickson's claws flashed out at them, only for his arms to both spin into the air as Oswald grinned up at him from where he was sliding. A half second later, they had both passed Hendrickson, Oswald sliding between Hendrickson's legs and splitting him up the middle to mid chest, and Meliodas splitting him halfway across the chest. An explosion of light and black flames went off instantly and what little was left of Hendrickson was sent spinning away from the city. Oswald sighed, standing and sheathed his sword, glancing at his wings but deciding to let them stay for the time being. Though, he _did_ retrieve his shirt and rip them holes before pulling it on, hiding the mark on his shoulder. All around him, Holy Knights were cheering and celebrating. The battle was over. They had won.

"So, Oswald," Meliodas said, Oswald turning. "Just who are you, really?"

"I'm a mistake," Oswald said. "A nobody who was abandoned and shunned. When I said you were my hero, I didn't mean as the Dragon Sin of Wrath. I meant as the rebellious son who chose love over his clan, and who fought with everything he had to protect Her Highness, and who has had to suffer witnessing her death countless times ever since thanks to the curse."

"I see," Meliodas nodded. "So _that's_ who you are. I heard the rumors, but I didn't think they were true."

"Some of them were," Oswald said. "A lot weren't."

Meliodas nodded. "So, what's this business with Ban?"

"You-know-who from the Horn of Cernunnos told him she could revive his dead girlfriend Elaine if he killed either you or me," Oswald said. "He chose me."

"I see," Meliodas nodded. "Did he believe you when you told him she lied?"

"Maybe," Oswald said. "I guess we'll find out if he attacks one of us later."

Meliodas nodded, then turned. "Well, I'm going to check on Elizabeth. Oh, and don't bow to her again. It's weird."

"But she was the only one who never treated me like a monster," Oswald said.

"She knew you?" Meliodas asked, glancing back.

"Well, more like I met her one time," Oswald said. "She healed my wounds, then left and I never saw her again. When I met you all, I thought it was a coincidence."

Meliodas nodded thoughtfully and walked away. Oswald sighed, looking around at the corpses, thankfully not nearly as many as there could have been, maybe six or seven total, before turning and heading back to the city to check the damage there.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Awarded

"I just want you to know, we're settling things once this party's over," Ban said as he and Oswald were walking down the street.

"I know," Oswald nodded. "And I want you to understand, you're not going to beat me."

"You never know," Ban said.

Oswald sighed and nodded. "Alright. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see Merlin about a way to manifest my wings without halfway bleeding out every time."

Ban nodded, branching off, and Oswald made it exactly two blocks before the next interruption arrived. Jericho skidded out of a side street, panting and glaring at him.

"Jericho?" Oswald blinked. "How are you?"

"I'm weak!" Jericho snapped. "And it's all your fault!"

"You're also human," Oswald said. "I stopped you from being a monster and killing countless people. I'm not apologizing for that."

Jericho glared at him. "It's all your fault, so you'd better take responsibility!"

"Whoa now!" Oswald said. "I took away your demonic power, not got you pregnant. Stop making it sound worse than it is."

"That's not what I meant!" Jericho screeched, face crimson. "You have to find a way for me to be powerful again!"

"Why not just train?" Oswald asked. "You know, like every _normal_ Holy Knight?"

"Alright, then you'll train me," Jericho said.

"Yeah no," Oswald said. "I'm not looking for a student."

"Didn't you hear me?" Jericho demanded. "I said this is your fault, so you're going to fix it!"

"I already fixed it," Oswald said. "You just don't like my solution."

"Exactly!" Jericho said. "So you're going to make me strong again!"

Oswald sighed. "Look, if you're really that desperate, just go ask Ban if you can drink his blood and share his immortality. You'd become super strong, and he'd have someone he could be with for all eternity without trying to kill me."

"Ban's trying to kill you?" Jericho gasped.

"No," Oswald sighed. "He just wants to fight so often that he's been giving me a headache." Oswald sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. I'll make you a deal. I have something to take care of after the celebration. Assuming I'm alive by then, I'll train you once that's finished. Happy?"

"I think I can accept those terms," Oswald sighed, shaking his head as he walked past her.

He continued walking in silence, and reached Merlin's mansion after about another five minutes, this time uninterrupted. He knocked on the door, and suddenly found himself standing in a room where Merlin was using a small orb to examine Hawk. Finding out Hawk had come back to life as a mouse-sized pig was a bit less of a shock than he had realized. After all, Her Highness was capable of some truly amazing things. Or, it could just be because Hawk is Hawk.

"How can I help?" Merlin asked.

"Do you know a way to make it so I can summon my wings without spraying blood all over everything?" Oswald asked.

"For that, I'd have to know exactly what you are," Merlin said, smirking knowingly. "For the time being, I'd suggest just leaving them out. I could make armor for them, if you want."

"No, then they'd be decorative," Oswald said. "I can't fly with them unless they're uncovered."

"I suppose," Merlin nodded. "Anything else I can help with?"

"Do you know where the coffin is?" Oswald asked.

"No," Merlin said seriously.

Oswald nodded. "I didn't think so. I'm going to go help the city rebuild then."

Merlin nodded and Oswald turned, walking back out he door and lifting off, flying to the castle and beginning to help rebuild. Work was quick, and it kept Oswald busy. Before he knew it, he had worked through the festival celebrating the kingdom's birthday, and several other days after. He decided he had helped enough the day before he and the others were supposed to be awarded medals, and headed back to the Boar Hat. As he walked in, Diane, who Merlin had given magic pills to allow her to be human sized, turned to him, grinning.

"We have a surprise for you!" Diane said.

"Oh god, please tell me it's not Meliodas's food," Oswald groaned.

"It's about to be Meliodas's foot," Meliodas said from off to the side.

Elizabeth and Diane laughed before Elizabeth reached down behind the bar and lifted up a cuirass formed from silver armor with a scaled design that looked like feathers reaching outward from the center of the chest where a gold triskelion rested. She turned it around, showing the same feather design on the back, but with a pair of holes for his wings.

"It's...amazing," Oswald said. "But...I don't really wear armor that much."

"Consider it a precaution," Meliodas said. "In case someone we'd rather not see again shows up."

Oswald nodded and walked forward, picking it up and lifting his wings, slipping them into their opening as he pulled the cuirass on over his head. It fit perfectly. It was more form-fitting than he had thought, and it flexed and twisted with him, not hindering his movements at all, even when he bent forward to touch his toes.

"I love it," Oswald smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Elizabeth smiled. "But it was Diane who made it."

"It was Elizabeth's idea," Diane said. "She said we should give you something as thanks for helping the captain fight Hendrickson, and for defending so many people during the fight, as well as an apology for Ban."

"Where is he anyway?" Oswald asked. "He was supposed to come talk to me again but he disappeared."

"King too," Diane said, looking worried. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they're fine," Oswald said.

"You're right," Diane smiled. "And whenever King gets back, I can tell him the truth."

"Truth?" Oswald asked.

"I remembered everything," Diane said. "He and I used to be best friends. I loved him. But I never actually told him, so he never realized it. And then one day, he made me forget him. I need to tell him I remember, and apologize for hurting him for so long."

"I'm sure he doesn't blame you," Oswald said.

"It's not about that," Diane said. "I want to tell him that I love him back."

Oswald smiled and nodded, then they all began to drink. As always. The next morning, they all went to the clear area in front of the castle, a group of Holy Knights arriving to watch the ceremony. However, as King Bartra was speaking, thanking them for saving the kingdom, several Holy Knights behind them were whispering words of descent, calling Meliodas and the other Sins criminals, among other things, and calling Oswald a freak.

"I object to those medals," Meliodas said finally, "is what some others would like to say. Right?" He turned to the crowd. "There have been some people whispering for a while now. If you have something to say, out with it. I'm all ears."

Three Holy Knights walked forward, one extremely tall man with short black hair and a strip beard running down his chin, wearing a green jacket and pinstripe pants, one short bulky man with a bowl cut, a bushy mustache, a sword bigger than he was, and no shirt under his coat, exposing the fir covering his chest, and one man of average height with long wavy hair, a thin mustache, a suit jacket, greaves, and a katana hanging from his left hip.

"Huh, I got the feeling there were more, but it looks like you three are the only honest ones," Meliodas said.

"Funny, the first three to speak out against us are three that I definitely _didn't _see risking their lives fighting Hendrickson," Oswald said.

"Under the rule of the traitorous Grand Masters' rule, we were assigned to an outer region, so we weren't present during the battle," the one with the katana, Deathpierce one of the other knights called him, said. "As a result, we didn't get to witness the strength of the legendary Deadly Sins first-hand. Until we see their strength, we cannot condone their decoration."

"Very well, do as you wish," Bartra said.

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," Deathpierce smiled.

"I'll go first," the taller one with the green jacket said, cracking his knuckles.

"Hold it right there!" Hawk said from off to the side. "Magic, two hundred ninety, strength, four hundred seventy, spirit, one hundred. Total battle strength, eight hundred sixty."

"You wanna try speaking in normal words now pig?" Oswald asked.

"That new earing of his, it's an evil eye, isn't it?" Gowther asked.

"It is," Merlin nodded. "Barol's Evil Eye. It's a talisman that allows one to see an opponent's strength as measurements based on their magic power, physical strength, and their spirit. The higher the number, the stronger they are."

"I see," Oswald nodded. "So you _were_ saying words."

"Of course I was!" Hawk snapped. "Whoa. That can't be right."

"Sh," Oswald said. "Don't spoil it for me. I like surprises, and if I know my numbers, it won't be as fun for me. I prefer guessing games, and to not be told I'll lose just because my numbers are lower."

"Shall we, Mr. Hero?" the Holy Knight that had challenged Meliodas asked.

"Ready whenever you are," Meliodas nodded.

The Holy Knight began to attack him in a massive flurry of punches, but Meliodas avoided them all easily before delivering a devastating, yet barely above a tap, punch to the side of his jaw. The Holy Knight crashed to the ground, staying there for a moment before standing.

"Is that it?" the Holy Knight asked. "If that's all it took to defeat the Grand Master Holy Knights, they were nothing but pushovers. If I'd known that, I'd have killed them myself."

"I don't want to be rude, but they'd have killed you in an instant," Meliodas said.

"What's that!?" the Holy Knight demanded.

"I don't know what happened to make them get such a stupid idea in their heads, but the Hendrickson and Dreyfus I know were good men with the courage to do what was right, and the strength to see it done, no matter what it was," Meliodas said. "You lack something right here," he tapped his chest over his heart, "and it makes you fail as a Holy Knight."

"A Holy Knight doesn't need courage!" the Holy Knight laughed, charging again. "All he needs is overwhelming power!"

He threw another barrage of punches at Meliodas, only for Meliodas to block them all, shattering the Holy Knight's fingers.

"If all a Holy Knight needs is overwhelming power, then I guess you're not even an Apprentice," Oswald said as the knight staggered backward a couple steps. "You don't have the power, _or_ the courage to be called a Holy Knight."

"I think you should start over," Meliodas suggested as the Holy Knight moved to headbutt him.

Meliodas raised his hand, and when the Holy Knight's head met Meliodas's palm, the Holy Knight shot backward, bouncing three times before Deathpierce caught him with one hand, watching Meliodas in interest.

"Who's next?" Meliodas asked.

"Pardon us," Deathpierce said. "I apologize on Dogedo's behalf as well. His best friend lost his life during the battle. We've seen your strength now, and we concede our complaint. We'll take our leave."

They left and Oswald shook his head, then stared up at the sky as his thoughts began to drift, completely ignoring Hawk as he began to realize that all of the Sins had battle stats of three thousand or more, freaking out because they exceeded his own level, which he thought was three thousand thanks to Merlin saying that it was, if multiplied by a hundred. After a few more minutes, the medals were awarded and they were all leaving the ceremony, Meliodas and Elizabeth leaving with the king, only to meet up with them again on the way to the Boar Hat. They walked in silence for a while before Oswald stopped as Jericho stepped out in front of him, arms crossed and glaring.

"Well?" she asked. "When are you going to start training me?"

"When I feel like it," Oswald shrugged. "Your weakness isn't my problem. You wouldn't even know the difference if you hadn't drank demon blood to begin with."

"But I-"

"Meliodas," Griamore said, stepping around a corner behind Jericho, along with Gilthunder and the Holy Knight with the wind power. "Thank you for what you said about my father."

"Don't mention it," Meliodas said. "I was just telling the truth."

"Are you feeling better Howzer?" Diane asked.

"Yes," the third Holy Knight nodded. "Physically, at least."

"I heard what happened," Meliodas said. "Dreyfus wounded you and killed the Roars of Dawn while you were escorting him, then escaped."

"That's right," Howzer nodded.

"That's impossible!" Griamore said. "My father would never-"

"It wasn't your father," Oswald said. "I didn't say anything because I assumed you guys had figured it out, but I could sense demonic power from Dreyfus. I think he was possessed by a demon, even more so than Hendrickson was."

"I agree," Gowther said. "When I attempted to lock him in a nightmare, I would have succeeded, but then a second entity that I could not identify interrupted and subdued my own consciousness."

"That's...impossible," Griamore said. "My father fought Hendrickson to the death! He gave his life trying to save Lady Elizabeth!"

Everyone was silent for a long while.

"If something doesn't add up, the best way to solve it is to turn everything backward," Merlin finally said. "Assign a meaning to something, and the meaningless comes to meaning."

"What?" Howzer asked, confused.

"Think about it and you'll understand," Merlin said, raising a hand.

"Don't think too hard," Meliodas said, he and the others following Merlin.

"Meliodas, what did the King want to talk to you about after the award ceremony?" Oswald asked.

"He had another vision," Meliodas said. "Something big is happening in Camelot, to the south."

"Something big?" Oswald asked. "Could you be a little more specif-"

He stopped as the ground shook and needles drove themselves into his entire body at once, robbing him of his strength as agony seared through him, dropping him to his knees. He stared blankly ahead as every cell in his body screamed to run. Beside him, Meliodas was trembling.

"What is this?" Hawk asked. "The ground is shaking."

The shaking subsided, but Oswald's senses continued to scream at him.

"Oh, I guess it's over," Hawk said. "Meliodas? Oswald? Are you okay?"

"They're..." Meliodas trailed off, sweating.

"Free," Oswald finished, voice barely a whisper. He focused his senses on them and found one in particular that made his entire body begin to tremble. "It can't be. Why her?"

"Who's free?" Jericho asked.

Oswald pushed himself up slowly, dusting off his knees and taking a slow breath, forcing his senses under control before smiling cheerfully.

"Some thieves a couple towns over," Oswald said.

"They tried to steal my panty collection," Meliodas added.

"It's nothing to worry about," Oswald said, continuing to walk, Meliodas walking along beside him, hands behind his head.

The others stared at them for a moment before deciding not to push the subject, all following in silence.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Rewritten

Oswald stepped around the corner and stopped, watching Gowther and Guila. They were walking down the street, hand-in-hand, and Guila looked happy. However, something seemed off about it. He followed them at a distance, tailing them through the city for about ten minutes before they met Elizabeth and Diane.

"Guila, Gowther, something's wrong!" Diane shouted, running over with Zeal, Guila's little brother. "Zeal's not acting right!"

"Zeal?" Guila asked. "I'm sorry, but who are you talking about?"

"Who else!?" Diane demanded. "Your little brother!"

"Little brother?" Guila asked. "Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Diane!" Diane said. "I'm small from a potion right now, but that's not important right now! Your brother needs help!"

"I'm sorry, but I think you've got the wrong person," Guila said. "This is the only family I have right here." She gestured at Gowther.

"Gowther," Oswald said. "What have you done?"

"Oswald," Gowther greeted. "Exactly what you believe."

"Let me guess," Oswald sighed. "It was when you were saving her from mutating?"

"That's right," Gowther nodded. "But I have no need of her brother anymore, so I removed him."

"How could you do that!?" Diane demanded.

"I want a heart," Gowther said. "Originally, I intended to learn about them by studying friendship, by means of Ban and the captain. However, during the battle, I witnessed something that went beyond friendship. In an attempt to kill Oswald, Ban surpassed his own limits, his power increasing six hundred nineteen. Then, later, to protect Elizabeth, Meliodas surpassed his own limits against Hendrickson by one thousand seventeen. The reason for these power increases was the emotion of love."

"Gowther, what are you talking about?" Guila asked. "I haven't understood anything you've said."

"Quiet," Gowther said, placing her under a sort of trance. "Her demon blood was going out of control because of her inferiority complex and self-hatred for being so weak. After I had erased those memories, I rewrote them so that she would have a happy childhood. I made it so that we were betrothed from an early age, and she became a Holy Knight by her own efforts. By imprinting that on her mind, I completely quelled the demon blood. I did not have time, but still dealt with it perfectly."

"I'll agree with that," Oswald said. "You figured out how to save her immediately, and stopped her transforming. And to be perfectly honest, I don't have any problem with you placing yourself in a relationship with Guila. I believe having something like that would be good for you. However, removing her brother was a step to far."

"How so?" Gowther asked.

"It doesn't matter how!" Diane shouted. "You can't mess with people's memories like that! It's wrong!"

"Her father, the Holy Knight, was suspected of killing his comrade, and then disappeared," Gowther said. "She had to endure the judgement of others as she maintained trust in her father and raised her brother. She eventually pursued the same line of work as her father, but her naturally peaceful disposition worked against her, as it thwarted her magic from ever fully blossoming. She lost confidence in herself and decided to take the demon's blood. But the price for that power was high, and she bore in her heart a suffering greater than any she had ever before. Those are Guila's real memories. Which do you think would truly make Guila happy? Those, or the fake ones I created?"

"But...but it's not your place to decide," Diane said.

"Guila's original memories were fraught with suffering, and yet, you insist that they would be better for her?" Gowther asked.

"That's right!" Diane said. "No matter how painful they may have been, they were her memories that she made with Zeal over all those years! They are precious and irreplaceable!"

"Incomprehensible," Gowther said. "They are unnecessary for my and Guila's love."

"That may be true," Oswald said. "But love is complicated."

"What do you mean?" Gowther asked.

"I love the world," Oswald said. "I love the Seven Deadly Sins. I love being strong. I love being weak. I love fighting, and I love peace. I love food and sleep."

"It is possible to love things such as that?" Gowther asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Love isn't restricted to merely romantic emotions," Oswald said. "Because of your false memories, Guila loves you. However, with her old memories, she feels an entirely different, yet equally strong, love for Zeal. If you wish to have a heart, and to learn about emotion, you can't choose a single emotion, or a single facet of that emotion. You have to learn about them all, all at once. Emotions are overwhelming and confusing by nature. That's just the way it is. You can't remove one part of an emotion just because it's more convenient for another part. That's not how a heart works."

"What do you suggest?" Gowther asked.

"Restore Guila's memories to as they were, to her true memories," Oswald suggested. "And remove the memory of you having manipulated her, or her having believed otherwise. Then, instead of her having been in love with you for a long time, change it so that she started to fall in love with you when you saved her life, but that she hasn't done anything about it."

"But then she and I wouldn't be together," Gowther said.

"That's true," Oswald nodded. "However, Guila isn't the type of person to allow her feelings to go unrequited for long. She'll confess to you before we leave for Camelot, and when she does, you can be more honest than this, and you can get her help learning."

"How?" Gowther asked, head tilted to the side.

"Simple," Oswald said. "Just tell her that you don't know what emotions are, and that you don't know what it means to be in love, but that if she's willing to be patient with you and help you, you want to learn with her."

"Just like that?" Gowther asked.

"Yes," Oswald said. "You'll have to change Zeal's memories of the last few days to remove you and her having been together so far, but that should be easy for you. And then I can handle Jericho, which is the only other person who might blow it for you. And this way, you won't have to do anything to Dale either. He'll still have existed, he'll still have come back, and assuming you two didn't see him since the battle, he won't know enough to blow your experiment."

Gowther was silent for a long while before humming thoughtfully. "This is a very good plan."

"However," Oswald said, voice serious. "After doing this, I want your word that you won't alter anyone else's memories, _ever_, without that person's express permission. And if you ever break your word, I'll kill you."

"It's not as easy to kill me as you believe," Gowther said.

"I'll find a way," Oswald said. "You're not immortal. Just very durable. Your word, Gowther."

"I give you my word," Gowther said. "After altering their memories to the specifications you have suggested, I will not alter memories without their owner's permission."

"Diane, can you live with this?" Oswald asked.

"I...yeah," Diane nodded. "I suppose I can."

Oswald nodded and Diane set Zeal down as Gowther turned to Guila, beginning to rearrange her memories before turning to Zeal and undoing his own work. Then, he stood, both staring in a daze for a moment before Gowther snapped his fingers, both coming out of their trance.

"I'm telling you, Diane, King will be back in a couple of days at most," Oswald said. "Oh, hello Guila. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you Oswald," Guila smiled. "How are you?"

"Good," Oswald said. "A couple of the others went missing a couple days ago, so we've been looking for them, but aside from that, we're good."

"A couple of the others?" Guila asked, glancing around, relaxing slightly as she saw Gowther. "Which?"

"Ban and King," Diane said. "We kind of need them since we're going to Camelot in a couple days, but we haven't been able to find them."

"I'm sure they're alright," Guila smiled. "They're two of the strongest."

"That's true," Oswald said. "And whatever's happening in Camelot, either we can handle it without them, or they'll wind up caught in the middle of it anyway. We always seem to find trouble."

"That's true," Guila laughed. "Gowther, do you have a moment? I wanted to thank you properly for saving me, and there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Of course," Gowther nodded, then flashed Oswald and the others a thumbs up. "I will see you at the Boar Hat later."

"See you," Oswald said, turning and walking past the girls, both following after him.

"What the hell Oswald?" Diane demanded after they were a safe distance away. "We can't just alter memories whenever we want!"

"No, we can't," Oswald said. "But Gowther can. He could make you a chicken if he wanted. I just ensured that he _won't_. And besides that, is it really so bad for him to learn about love and Guila to have something to brighten her miserable life, even if it _is_ based on a lie?"

"Yes!" Diane snapped. "Would you want your entire life rewritten?"

"Yes!" Oswald snapped, Diane blinking in surprise, staring at him. "If I had the choice to do it without Gowther seeing my memories, and while keeping my abilities, I'd _gladly_ trade my memories away for something happy! Lie or not! I don't agree with Gowther rewriting Guila's _entire_ life, but adding himself in isn't going to do any harm."

"Was your life really so awful?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes," Oswald said quietly. "In my entire life, I've had few enough bright spots to count them on one hand. My childhood hero, who was murdered by his father. My childhood hero's lover, who was...well...someone I idolized. I can't think of a better word for it. Anyway, she was murdered by her mother, alongside my childhood hero. After them, there was nothing. I was alone. Until Vaizel. Until Meliodas, and you two. Until the Sins."

"But, you're a member of the Goddess Race, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Actually, I'm from a sort of offshoot race known as angels," Oswald said. "We're like...guardians. Soldiers. Like the Holy Knights of the Goddess Race's army. Or, at least, my mother was. Anyway, that's not important. What matters is that the Goddess Race has never wanted me to exist, and I've never considered myself a part of them or any of their offshoots."

Diane and Elizabeth nodded, and Diane sighed.

"I guess you have a point about Guila," Diane said. "It's...acceptable this way."

Oswald nodded and turned, continuing back to the Boar Hat with the two of them. As they entered, Oswald looked out the window to see Gowther walking after them, Merlin and Meliodas walking along with him. He raised an eyebrow as Gowther walked inside, remaining silent.

"What happened?" Oswald asked.

"I took medicine to suppress my magical power," Gowther said. "As for Guila, she has agreed to help me learn."

"Good," Oswald nodded. "Remember the agreement."

"I remember," Gowther nodded. "I shall not break my word to you."

Oswald nodded and Meliodas turned to him suspiciously.

"What agreement?" Meliodas asked.

"I made him swear not to come to me with questions about dating or sex," Oswald said. "I don't want to hear about Gowther's sex life."

"That's fair," Meliodas agreed. "Anyway, we should probably call it a night. Tomorrow we can drop Elizabeth off with Bartra and be on our way. Maybe we'll pick up Slader on the way. Oh, and Oswald, how would you like-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Oswald said. "Drop off Elizabeth? She's not coming?"

"Nope," Meliodas said. "The battle to protect Liones is over. There's no need for her to come with us now."

Oswald's mind drifted back to the power he had sensed before. He could still sense them, if he tried.

"I'm still you friend," Elizabeth was saying as Oswald rejoined the world. "Or am I the only one who felt that way? In the end, am I just dead weight?"

"Preeeecisely," Meliodas said, only for Diane's fist to crash into Meliodas's cheek, sending him flying into Oswald's outstretched arm, sending him flipping end-for-end before Hawk slammed into him, launching him back into the bar.

Elizabeth ran out of the building, sobbing.

"I am confused," Gowther said.

"Meliodas, she's coming with us," Oswald said. "You know what'll happen if we leave her behind."

Meliodas sighed heavily. "She'll follow us."

"And then she'll be in harm's way _without_ you," Oswald said. "Is that what you want?"

Meliodas was silent.

"I thought not," Oswald said, turning toward the stairs where the bedrooms were.

"Wait," Meliodas said. "You didn't let me ask before. Do you want to be an official member of the sins? We're two short, so we need the help."

"Sure," Oswald said. "I'll be the Eighth Deadly Sin."

"Now we just need an animal and label for your sin," Meliodas said.

"Ban already figured it out," Oswald said. "I'm the Demon Sin of Existence."

"Existence?" Elizabeth asked. "But that's not a sin."

"If you ask the Goddess Race, the existence of demons is a sin," Oswald said. "I you ask the demons, the existence of the Goddess Race is a sin. And everyone in the world exists alongside a single sin that governs their choices. Except maybe you. I am the embodiment of those sins. I am the Sin of Existence. Ban's joke fits."

The others remained silent and Oswald raised his hand in farewell, heading up the stares. Then, as he lay down, he pushed his senses out, finding her and focusing on her for a long moment before letting his senses relax. He'd be seeing her soon. How could he not? The moment she realized he was alive, she'd come to find him.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Truth of the Situation

Oswald stopped as he stepped off of the stairs and saw that the others were all present, including Slader, Jericho, and Guila.

"What are you doing here?" Oswald groaned.

"What do you mean what am I doing here!?" Jericho demanded. "You promised to take responsibility!"

"I didn't promise anything," Oswald said. "You ordered me to train you, and I told you I would if I felt like it. I don't feel like it."

"You arrogant prick!" Jericho seethed. "Why'd you even bother to save me?"

"I don't know, something about you being a rampaging monster," Oswald said.

"Change of plans," Merlin said suddenly. "We're going to Camelot now."

She was staring at a small crystal ball, in which Oswald could only see darkness swirling.

"That's a bit of a long way," Oswald said just as the floor lurched and he grabbed a table to steady himself.

"We're here," Merlin said.

Oswald blinked slowly before walking over to the window and looking out. Outside, there was a cloud.

"Are we...flying?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded. "Hawk's mother is capable of flying. I'd very much like to study her, but I've been lacking the proper time to do so."

"No experimenting on Hawk's Mom," Meliodas said, walking out the door, Oswald just behind him, followed by the others, all of them looking down at a city below them, then at the enormous stone giant outside of it.

It was as big as a mountain and covered in moss, and stood about three hundred feet tall. Its body was rounded, kind of like an egg, with two massive eyes and a mouth in the top of the front, then two enormous arms that nearly reached the ground and a pair of stubby legs. granted, the legs were still taller than Arthur's castle, but still.

"Meliodas," Oswald said. "That thing is..."

"Yeah," Meliodas nodded. "It's an Albion."

"A what?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's a weapon of the Demon Clan from the Holy War," Meliodas said. "It probably awoke in reaction to the resurrection of the Ten Commandments."

Oswald nodded in agreement.

"Ten Commandments?" Diane asked.

"I'll explain later," Meliodas said.

"How do you want to deal with this?" Oswald asked.

"We'll have to smash it," Meliodas said.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hawk said from beside Elizabeth. "Meliodas's combat power is three thousand three hundred seventy, and Merlin's is four thousand seven hundred ten, but this monster...has a combat power of five thousand five hundred!"

Just then, the Albion's mouth stretched open, somehow, and it roared so loudly the boards beneath Oswald's feet began to tremble. Then, its eyes found Oswald and its roar grew louder. Angrier.

"Well, it seems I've got his attention," Oswald said. "Typical."

"See if you can keep him busy," Meliodas said. "I'll move in for the kill."

Oswald nodded and dropped off the side of the deck, dropping past Hawk's Mom before extending his wings and taking off, streaking past the Albion, before flipping and seeing the Albion's fist raised. He swore, shooting to the side and the fist flashed downward, exploding into the ground, barely missing him. He drew his sword, the blade shining, as it had when he fought Hendrickson, and he shot forward, then up the Albion's front, blade sparking along against its skin before he kicked off of it, narrowly escaping its hand as it crashing into the Albion's front like it was trying to swat a mosquito, which Oswald was even less than at the moment.

The Albion roared and opened its mouth, a massive blast of flames exploding out of it at him. Oswald swore, forming a Heaven's Shield, only for the flames to explode through six of the shields, then launch him backward. He crashed down on his back, breaking both wings, but when the flames cleared, his shield's flower remained, though heavily cracked.

"Well, I'm not blocking another of those successfully," Oswald said as the Albion exhaled another blast. "Oh come on!"

Suddenly, Meliodas appeared in front of Oswald, slashing upward, the blast instantly redirecting and multiplying its own power before exploding into the Albion's head.

"You okay?" Meliodas asked.

Oswald shouted in pain as his wings snapped, crackled, and popped, setting their breaks before healing. "Great. Need a lift?"

"Yeah," Meliodas nodded.

Oswald grabbed him and flew into the air, streaking around the Albion's hand as it swatted at him. He glanced at its face, but the damage from Meliodas's attack was minimal. It had chipped off some of the giant's face at the corner of its mouth. That was all. He turned back to the front and released Meliodas, who landed on the Albion's left arm just in time for its right hand to grab Oswald. Oswald shouted in effort, struggling to hold the barrier he had managed to form in a sphere around himself. it began to crack rapidly, Oswald feeling pain lance through his head repeatedly. Then, the barrier shattered, only for the Albion's hand to release him, pulling back as the Albion roared in pain, a tiny scratch across the side of its index finger and its thumb. Oswald looked to Meliodas just as something stabbed into his shoulder from above. He shouted in pain, beginning to drop.

He grabbed the offending object and yanked it out, flipping and spreading his wings, hovering and staring at the chunk of blade in his hand. He looked up as Meliodas tossed the hilt of his now broken sword at him, Oswald sheathing his own sword and catching it just as Merlin sent another weapon spinning through the air to Meliodas, who caught it, becoming blurry for a moment before his power skyrocketed and he grinned. He slashed downward and the Albion's arm fell away in segments.

"God I wish I had a sacred treasure," Oswald said, shaking his head.

Suddenly, five massive horns began to grow out of the Albion's face like horns, all of them hollow with an opening at the end. Oswald's eyes widened as the tubes all lit up with magic energy, then fired, only for Meliodas to suddenly be one of five. Then, all five used Full Counter on a blast, and the resulting explosion sent bits of Albion raining down in the forest several miles away. Oswald felt numb as he watched the flames slowly clear, leaving the entire upper half of the Albion completely vaporized.

"Fuck," Oswald breathed. "I feel inferior now."

* * *

Oswald carefully finished wrapping the halves of Meliodas's sword and stored them in his sack. He'd fix them when he had time, and a proper anvil. For now, it was better that Meliodas use Lostvayne. After all, it was a Sacred Treasure. The broken sword was just a gift from Elizabeth. Twice, technically.

Just as he slung his sack across hi back again, his senses went completely haywire and he swore loudly. How had he not noticed sooner? An explosion went off a few hundred feet away as one of the Ten Commandments landed before them. It was a giant made of red armor, about as tall as Diane, with a long staff that had a spear head on one end and a crescent blade on the other, and there was a blue gemstone in his chest. His helmet, or maybe it was his head, had jagged teeth, and a pair of curved blades like horns sticking out of the sides of its head. Oswald drew his sword and stepped up beside Meliodas instantly, the giant, Galland, holder of the Commandment of Truth, staring at him and his wings.

"You," Galland growled. "I came here hoping to find Meliodas. But instead, I find _you_."

"Galland," Oswald growled, crouching and readying himself. "Everyone listen to me very carefully. This, is Galland of Truth. He has the Commandment Truth. Basically, what that means is that if you lie in Galland's presence, any lie at all, you'll be turned to stone."

"Very good," Galland grinned. "You remembered."

"It's hard to forget a nightmare like you," Oswald said. "If your combat power is below twenty thousand, start running."

Everyone who wasn't a close friend of the Seven Deadly Sins turned and fled instantly, meaning that the only ones who stayed were Arthur, Elizabeth, Jericho, Guila, and Slader.

"We're in luck," Oswald said.

"Why?" Diane asked.

"His magic is currently zero," Oswald said, right Hawk?"

"Yeah," Hawk said. "How'd you know? Wait, you said twenty thousand. How do you know his battle power?"

"I don't know for sure," Oswald said. "I'm taking a rough guess that it's in the neighborhood of the twenty thousands."

"It's twenty six thousand!" Hawk said.

"I see," Oswald nodded. "Like I said. We're lucky. He's been weakened considerably after being sealed away for so long."

"Weakened considerably!?" Hawk shouted. "Even with all of ours together we're not as strong as him!"

"I know," Oswald said.

"So this is a human city," Galland said, looking around. "It's changed a lot in the last three thousand years. I see they still travel around in swarms. It's too crowded."

Oswald's arm snapped up, forming a Heaven's Shield just in time for Galland to slash his weapon, the shockwave alone razing the city into a barren field of dust with debris scattered around the edge.

"Just one swipe..." Diane breathed.

"The entire town was..." Arthur stared in disbelief.

"That's better," Galland smirked. "Well, now. I've got two fun targets to play with. Which should I start with?"

Meliodas shot forward, his sword crashing into the side of Galland's neck, only for Galland to drive his staff backward and up, impaling Meliodas. Oswald shot forward, sword shining, and Galland slashed around at him, his staff skipping off of Oswald's blade, missing him, but splitting two more Meliodases in half. Galland's eyes widened before the one on his staff vanished and another leapt at him from behind, the final one falling from above. Galland caught the one above and stabbed downward at Oswald, taking off both wings, only for Oswald's momentum to carry him to Galland. Oswald slashed and Galland hurled himself backward, roaring in pain as his arm spun away, Meliodas landing on his feet, massaging his neck.

"Merlin, now!" Oswald said.

Merlin snapped her fingers and Galland vanished.

"I don't get it," Hawk said as Oswald formed two more wings. "Your numbers are so much lower than Galland's, and Meliodas's attacks were useless. How come you could hurt him?"

"One of my abilities is to charge my sword with purifying light, the same kind of magic as I use to form Heaven's Shield," Oswald said. "It allows me to deal much more serious wounds to demons, as I did when Meliodas and I fought Hendrickson. but in this case, it'll still be little more than a hinderance."

Just then, Galland landed beside his arm, darkness connecting to it and pulling it back, reattaching it. Diane shot forward, Merlin canceling the magic keeping her small then swapping her human clothes for her giant outfit and Gideon. Then, as Diane swung the spike on the back of Gideon's head down at Galland, Galland kicked it, sending the hammer crashing into Diane's head, resulting in a brief spray of blood and an unconscious giant. Oswald shot forward, sword once again shining, only for him to use the sword to block Galland's, being send exploding backward along the ground, only stopping when he crashed into a Perfect Cube that was protecting Elizabeth. The force reverberated into him, shattering his ribs and spine and turning his wings into paste, launching him to the ground. Galland began to laugh, but Merlin teleported him away again.

"Lady Merlin, you're amazing!" Arthur cheered.

"Oswald!" Elizabeth shouted, Hawk running over next to him.

"That wasn't me," Merlin said. "I didn't teleport him. He jumped several miles out of the range of my magic in an instant."

Then, Galland was behind her.

"I hate slippery magic users like you most of all," Galland snarled.

As he began to slash, Slader landed in the way, trying to use Overpower, only for it to backfire. Then, Galland's staff hit him, smashing his right arm beyond all hope of natural repair and sending him flying. Then, as he landed, his ruined arm spun away from his body.

"Now to deal with you," Galland snarled.

"Divine...Mirror!" Oswald snarled, the ground below him shining in a circle before a second appeared below Galland. Then, Galland crashed to the ground, blood spraying out of his mouth.

"You filthy abomination!" Galland shrieked, standing as his entire body snapped and cracked. "How dare you-"

"Divine Mirror!" Oswald said again.

Again Galland collapsed instantly, only to begin standing anyway.

"What's he doing?" Elizabeth asked as Oswald squeezed his eyes closed, tears running out of them.

"Divine-"

"Stop it!" Meliodas roared, slashing Galland down the back, black flames exploding across Galland's entire body, sending him flying away from everyone. "Don't you dare, Oswald!"

"What'd he do?" Elizabeth asked.

"Divine Mirror is a forbidden magic of the Goddess Race," Meliodas said. "Any injuries on the caster are reflected onto their target, but as a payoff, the injuries the caster has are increased. With each repeated use, it gets worse. If he uses it again, he'll die. Galland won't. I'll handle things from here. Merlin. One large Perfect Cube."

Merlin nodded, holding out a hand and transforming the two small Perfect Cubes protecting Arthur and Elizabeth into a single one protecting everyone except Meliodas. Then, darkness began to envelope Meliodas's body. The moment it had, he went berserk. He tore into Galland for several seconds before stopping, struggling to force himself back under control. Galland moved to kill him as he was standing motionless, only for Meliodas to tear into him again. Then, he landed in front of the Perfect Cube and held out his hand, pure darkness crashing down on Galland in a pillar, pushing down in him. Galland doubled over under the force, groaning.

"You command this dark power!?" Galland seethed from under the torrent of darkness. "I can't...believe...you've become so weak!"

He hurled his staff, stabbing Meliodas through the ground with it and tacking him to the ground The darkness faded instantly, leaving Galland unharmed on a pillar of stone in the center of a gaping chasm. Oswald, looked around, eyes falling on Gowther, who was holding Guila protectively as they watched the fight.

"Gowther," Oswald said. "We need you."

Gowther watched him for a moment before nodding. "I understand."

He walked to the edge of the cube as Galland was facing away, standing over Meliodas and gloating. Then, a small hole opened in the cube and Gowther fired a single energy arrow just as Galland wrenched his staff out of Meliodas's chest. He raised it to impale Meliodas again, but the arrow hit and he stood motionless for a moment before cackling and taking off.

After a few minutes, once everyone was sure Galland was gone, Merlin allowed the Perfect Cube to fade. She walked over, kneeling behind him and holding out her hand for a moment before shaking her head.

"You really are foolish," Merlin said. "Everyone stand still. I'll move us to the castle."

Everyone did as instructed and a moment later, they were in the infirmary wing of the castle. Several of the people in the room rushed over instantly, taking Meliodas to a bed where one woman began to try and heal him instantly, Elizabeth hovering at the side of the bed, barely keeping together. At the same time, someone took Slader and his arm aside to reattach them. Merlin knelt beside Oswald as they did.

"We have to move you," Merlin said. "I'm going to put you to sleep now."

"Alright," Oswald said.

Then, Merlin snapped her fingers and he was out like a light.

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Training

Oswald groaned, as his eyes opened slowly. His entire body hurt still, and he got the distinct impression he wasn't healed.

"Easy," Jericho said from behind him. "You're still hurt."

"How bad?" Oswald said.

"Merlin said that we'll have to have the druids heal you when we get there," Jericho said.

"Druids!?" Oswald gasped swearing. "No! I can't! I can't go there!"

"Well you don't have a choice!" Jericho said. "We're almost there already!"

"No you don't understand, they worship the Goddess Race, who hate me!" Oswald said.

"Well it's your own damn fault for getting hurt!" Jericho said. "Seriously you idiot! You scared the shit out of me! How am I supposed to make you take responsibility if you go and die on me?"

"Jericho..." Oswald trailed off and sighed. "I doubt I can walk on my own."

"I'll carry you," Jericho said. "Just don't get any funny ideas."

"I'm not Meliodas," Oswald said. "I'm not going to be groping you."

Jericho didn't respond so Oswald fell silent, extending his senses, finding the Ten Commandments before letting them relax.

"Has anything happened with the Commandments while I was out?" Oswald asked.

"When they sensed us moving, one of them sent this massive flaming bird at us, but Hawk's Mom ate the thing," Jericho said. "Other than that, no. Nothing."

Oswald nodded. Then maybe she believed Galland that he was dead. Or she didn't think it was him.

"We're here," Merlin announced, stepping into the room. I'll teleport you outside, but then he's all yours."

Jericho nodded and Oswald found himself lying on the ground. Jericho knelt down, picking him up onto her back as carefully as she could before beginning to walk, following Meliodas and Elizabeth, who had been the first one off.

"So Merlin, what's the big plan here?" Oswald asked.

"We're going to get the captain's lost power back while we're here, and then we're going to train," Merlin said. "Once you're healed, you'll train too. Then, we'll be trying to find the Lion Sin of Pride, Escanor."

Oswald nodded. "And what happens when the leaders of the Druids kill me?" Oswald said.

"We won't let them," Merlin said.

"You don't have that kind of power, or else we wouldn't be here," Oswald said.

"You'll be fine," Merlin said. "Quit worrying so much."

Ahead of them, Elizabeth passed through a stone arch and vanished. Meliodas followed after her, and a few more moments later, the others had all passed through. Before them was a bowl of sorts made of a hill all the way around the lake they were suddenly standing before. A stone walkway extended out into the lake and a large, extremely powerfully built man with a walking stick resting on the ground in front of him stood between a pair of young girls, one wearing a red dress with yellow flowers along the border and a detached sleeve on her left arm, with the same design, then golden blonde hair in a braid down her back. The other girl, her sister, had brown hair in a braid, then a white dress with pink flowers as a border, and the sleeve on her right arm. She was glaring at Elizabeth as they all made their way over. Hawk initially confused the man in the middle, who claimed to be fifteen, for the leader, when in fact, the two girls, Jenna and Zaneri, were the leaders. Elizabeth tried to introduce herself to Zaneri, only for Zaneri to look away. However, in doing so, her gaze fell on Oswald instead.

"You!" she snarled, Jenna's pleasant smile melting away for the same disgusted, murderous look Zaneri was wearing, the man in between them, Theo, bristling and raising his stick in response.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jenna demanded.

"We brought him here to be healed," Meliodas said. "You can do that, right?"

"That _thing_ doesn't _deserve_ to be healed!" Zaneri spat. "Let it die!"

"We need Oswald to fight the Ten Commandments," Meliodas said. "He's really strong. Besides, it was never his fault."

"That doesn't matter," Jenna said. "We're _not_ healing him!"

"But, I thought the Druids worship the Goddess Race," Jericho said. "Well, he's a member of the Goddess Race and he's hurt! Shouldn't you be happy to help him?"

"He will _never_ be counted among the members of the Goddess Race!" Zaneri snapped.

"Please, Zaneri," Meliodas said. "We need him."

Zaneri was silent for a long while before sighing heavily. "Bring him here."

Jericho walked over instantly, beginning to gently set Oswald down, only for Zaneri to kick him off of Jericho's back, causing him to flop down on his broken back, crying out in agony. Then, she nodded to Theo, who used his stick to flip him over before she knelt, green light shining from her hands as she began to heal him. After a handful of seconds, she stood, grimacing and dipping her hands into the water, scrubbing them. Oswald stood, pain-free, and sighed.

"Thank you, Zaneri," Oswald said.

"Don't thank me," Zaneri said. "Just get out."

"He needs to train too," Meliodas said.

Zaneri growled in annoyance before sighing, looking to Jenna.

"You deal with Meliodas and Elizabeth," Jenna sighed. "I'll deal with the training."

Zaneri nodded and turned, walking away with Meliodas and Elizabeth following her. Ahead of them was a pair of stone spikes forming a sort of cave, and then a ribbed stone spire ending in a spike. Zaneri lead the pair into the tower while Jenna walked over to a crack in the stone cave, then turned back to them.

"This is the Cave of Training," Jenna said. "Here, you will hone your skills until you're strong enough to face the Ten Commandments. Or, at least, that's the hope."

"I don't believe it," Oswald said, staring past Jenna. "No, I suppose this shouldn't be that surprising."

"Who..." Diane fell silent as they watched Hendrickson walk out of the cave, his right shoulder burned, wearing only a pair of pants and holding a stick.

"Hendrickson!" King snarled, forming Chastiefol into a swarm of blades, only for Hendrickson to collapse.

Closer to the cave than them, there was a pile of something burned, and when Hawk ran over to investigate it, he reported that it was Griamore, Howzer, and Gilthunder. Jenna began to heal them, and finished in a matter of moments, the three waking.

"Oh, it's all of you," Gilthunder said. "When did you get to Istar?"

"A few minutes ago," Oswald said. "What'd you fight?"

"A clay dragon," Gilthunder said.

"Yup, that'll do it," Oswald nodded. "Hendrickson, are you still in possession of any Demonic Power?"

"No," Hendrickson said. "I was completely purged of it by a trap on the Coffin of Eternal Darkness when I opened it. And for the record, I apologize for that."

"You don't get to apologize yet," Oswald said. "Not until you see that you've unleashed." He pulled his sword off of his back, along with his sack, and set them aside, dropping his shirt and cuirass down beside them a moment later, stretching his wings for a moment before sighing and looking to Jenna. "Shall we get this show on the road?"

"Yes," Jenna said. "Everyone take off everything you've got on you."

Instantly, Gowther was completely naked.

"You can keep your underwear and pants on!" Jenna snapped. "And the girls can keep their shirts on."

"Damn," Oswald said. "You were close Arthur. You almost got to see Merlin topless."

Arthur's face turned crimson and he began to vehemently deny having wanted to in the first place, all the while Merlin stood behind him, smirking amusedly. Jenna passed out ash clubs and Oswald turned, walking into the cave in silence, everyone else following, even Hawk and King's pet black hound Oslo. Oswald walked until the would around him faded into darkness, then continued walking until a light appeared in front of him. A few moments later, he entered a cave, alone, filled with floating Goddess Amber crystals.

"So, I just pick one and fight whatever comes out, right?" Oswald asked, looking around. "I notice I'm completely alone for this. So, I'd imagine I got saddled with all of the hardest creatures as well. Good. Hopefully something in here is strong enough to kill me." He cracked his knuckles. "Well, let's get started shall we?"

He reached out, grasping a crystal and it shattered, breaking apart. Instantly, darkness swarmed out of the shards, spiraling together in the center of the cave, blowing the rest of the crystals away as a Red Demon formed. Oswald stared at it, charging his stick with his light magic.

"I see," Oswald said. "So you really _do_ want me dead."

Then, he was off. His stick began to shine as he neared the demon, but it looked down at him and he hurled himself tot he side, an energy blast flashing out of his eye, taking his right wing off. He rolled and his left hand snapped up as he continued to run, a Heaven's Shield forming in front of him in time to block the Red Demon's Purgatory Flames. Then, Oswald jumped, clearing the flames and flipping, swiping downward at the demon as he fell. The stick crashed into the demon and hurled it backward, but failed to cut into it. Then, before the dust had even settled, a second energy blast flashed out, taking off Oswald's left arm an wing both. He growled in annoyance, streaking forward and focusing his light magic along only the front edge of his stick. He shot forward again, forming a Heaven's Shield in front of himself, only for two energy blasts to punch through it, and his torso, before Purgatory Flames exploded through the dust, clearing it and exploding into his shield, shattering it. Oswald jumped, flipping over the flames before falling at the demon again. Its hand flashed up, tearing several large gashes in his abdomen before an energy blast hit his stick, smashing it. Oswald curled his hand into a fist, focusing his magic to his fist instead, and smashed it into the top of the demon's head, smashing it into the ground. The magic shifted to his foot and he spun, kicking the demon backward into the wall, only for his fist to explode into the underside of its chin a moment later, making its head snap backward. Then, as he was in the aid, he twisted, spinning around and focusing him magic. A large axe blade of shining white light formed on the front of his shin before connecting with the demon's neck, its head spinning into the air.

He landed on his feet, blood splattering across the ground, before the head landed in front of him. he swayed on his feet before staggering to his fallen arm and picking it up, walking out of the cave. He collapsed as soon as he was out and several of the others shouted in surprise and fear. However, after several seconds, warmth began to spread through his body, He felt his wounds sealing, and his arm being reattached. Then, it was over. He was still exhausted, but he could tell he was healed, minus needing to generate new wings.

"You survived," Jenna's voice said. "I'm actually impressed."

"You put me against a Red Demon," Oswald said, forcing himself to a sitting position. "Well played. That almost beat me. He was a bit free with his eye lasers."

"And your shield was too weak to block it," Jenna said. "You're a disgrace."

"Why don't you try telling me something I _haven't_ heard since the day I was born?" Oswald asked.

"Alright," Jenna said. "You're powerful enough to crush Red Demons with ease, even bare handed. But you hold back. Why?"

Oswald stared at the ground. "I don't know."

"Yes you do," Jenna said. "But I'll play along and tell you. Shame. You're ashamed of your own existence, which holds you back, and you're afraid that you're not strong enough if you go all out, so you don't put in full effort, that way you have an excuse for losing. Basically, you're a coward."

"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" Gilthunder asked.

"She's right," Oswald said. "I _am_ a coward."

"No, you're our friend," Diane said. "And you're definitely not a coward. You've risked your life for people more times than I can count."

"No to help them," Oswald said. "I did it because I want to die. I just also want to protect others."

"That doesn't matter," Jericho said. "You still have the courage to continue living so that you can protect others. And you've saved so many people so much pain. So what if you're a mistake. You're still a person, and you still deserve a chance to live."

Oswald sighed, staring at the ground.

"She's right you know," Meliodas said. "No one can tell you whether or not you deserve to live. If you were never meant to exist, you wouldn't exist."

Oswald sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," Meliodas said. "So, we should give this training thing a try."

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "I'm ready to go again."

"Alright," Jenna said. "Oswald, you'll be with Jericho this time. "Meliodas, you'll be with King."

They nodded and walked into the cave, darkness swallowing them before Oswald and Jericho walked out into the cavern with the Goddess Ambers again.

"Be ready," Oswald said. "The last time I was in here, I got a laser-happy Red Demon."

"Laser?" Jericho asked.

"They can fire lasers out of their eyes that are so fast you can barely see them before they hit," Oswald said. "And I'm willing to bet there are a few Grey Demons in here too."

"Should we really be doing this, then?" Jericho asked.

"If you're scared you can leave," Oswald said reaching out to a crystal. "Here we go."

"I'm ready," Jericho nodded.

Oswald placed his hand to the crystal and it shattered, darkness again surging out of it. Oswald leapt back, expecting a Red Demon to form. Instead, as the darkness finished swirling together, it settled, leaving a silhouette with a pair of wings with spikes running along the bottom of them, long claws, and glowing red eyes.

"What the hell is that?" Jericho asked.

"It's a Shade," Oswald said. "They're supposed to have been hunted to extinction."

"Why?" Jericho asked.

"You're about to see why," Oswald said, crouching and forming a Heaven's Shield beside his left arm, then focusing his magic to his stick, forming it an edge.

He sprinted forward, the Shade streaking forward and slashing at him, its claws screeching as they scraped across his shield. He spun, swiping at it, but it jumped back, avoiding the strike. Then, it lunged, a scorpion tail forming and stabbing at him. Oswald focused power into the shield and raised it, the tail bouncing off before he swung his arm downward, deflecting the Shade's left hand's claws. He swiped upward at the Shade, and it spun around his strike, slashing at his back, only for Jericho's stick to hit the top of its arm, knocking it downward so that its claws tore the outside of Oswald's pants but missed him. Oswald spun around and wrapped his left arm around Jericho just in time for his shield to block the Shade's other hand's claws before stepping around her and swiping at the Shade rapidly, forcing it back quickly. Finally, it spun around him, its tail slamming into his side and hurling him. Jericho began to use her stick to deflect his arms and tail rapidly and began backpedaling the entire time.

Oswald hurled his stick at the Shade and it spun, claws deflecting it just in time for Jericho to begin slamming her own stick into the Shade quickly, doing absolutely nothing. Finally, it backhanded her just as Oswald flipped over it, landing beside his stick and deflecting its tail with his shield. Before he could pick up his stick, however, the Shade charged, attacking him in a flurry of slashes and stabs, Oswald barely able to fend off its strikes with his shield Finally, the tail crashed into the shield and hurled him backward, only for a spike of ice to stab into the Shade's back. It shrieked, spinning to Jericho as another formed in front of her outstretched hand and fired. The Shade smashed this one, but before it could charge, Oswald stepped up behind it with his stick, focusing his energy into the stick and bringing it down hard, splitting the Shade across the back. It staggered forward and another ice spike impaled its head, killing it.

"You can use...ice?" Oswald asked, trying to catch his breath.

"I...guess so," Jericho said. "I've never been able to do that before."

Oswald chuckled. "I guess your actual magic power is finally showing itself."

Jericho stared at her hand a moment before nodding. "I guess so. And now you _have_ to train me."

"And why's that?" Oswald asked.

"Because I saved your life!" Jericho snapped.

"So then we're even," Oswald said. "In which case, I'm still under no obligation to train you."

"You son of a-"

"Let's go, student," Oswald said, smirking back at her. "Unless you want to fight something alone."

Jericho blinked then ran over to him, the two of them walking out of the cave in silence. As they got outside, they stopped, staring at a Goddess Amber about the size of a bison, probably bigger. Inside of it, darkness swirled endlessly.

"You have no idea the pains I had to go through to get this sealed properly," Jenna said, raising her hand tot he floating crystal, which shattered immediately.

Had Oswald blinked, he would have missed the actual change. The power shot outward, expanding so rapidly that the entirety of the sky turned pitch black. His senses began to go haywire.

"It became night all of a sudden," Howzer said.

"No," Oswald said. "This is the full magnitude of Meliodas's power."

Jenna swung her stick downward and the darkness filling the sky shot downward, crashing down on Meliodas and flooding into his body. Then, it was over and light filled the sky again. Meliodas chuckled darkly.

"Finally," he hissed. "My power has been restored. How long I've dreamed of this."

"Meliodas?" Gilthunder asked worriedly.

"It sounds like he's gone evil!" Howzer said.

"Just kidding," Meliodas said cheerfully.

"What the hell!?" Howzer snapped. "You scared the shit out of me! Jeez, he hasn't changed a bit!"

"Are you stupid?" King asked, staring at Meliodas. "Do you really think...he's the same?"

"Hey Merlin, can you send me to where the Ten Commandments are?" Meliodas asked.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Gilthunder demanded. "Charging straight to where the enemy is!? You're suicidal!"

"It's possible," Meliodas said. "I just want to give them a greeting. It shouldn't take long. I'll just need about ten seconds. Can you do it?"

"I can," Merlin nodded. "Be careful not to get yourself killed, Meliodas."

"I won't," Meliodas said, then vanished.

Oswald closed his eyes, counting in his head as he sensed for Meliodas. He found him easily. And after a matter of seconds, Galland's dropped to nearly nothing. Then, a few seconds later, Oswald opened his eyes just in time for Meliodas to reappear.

"Just a greeting, huh?" Oswald asked.

"He interrupted," Meliodas shrugged. "Could you tell what was going on?"

"No, but I felt his power nearly disappear," Oswald said. "You should have removed one of our problems while you had the chance."

Meliodas shrugged. "There will be other opportunities."

"Except that they've scattered now," Oswald said.

"What!?" King gaped. "Scattered!?"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Jenna screamed. "They were all sitting quietly in one place! You've just kicked a hornet's nest and started a war!"

"No, this is good," Oswald said.

"How?" Hendrickson asked.

"Because now that they're separated, we don't have to fight all ten at once," Oswald said. "We can go at them two at a time. They're staying in pairs."

"That's a fair point," Merlin nodded. "Our chances are better this way."

"Before we fight any of them, however," Oswald continued, "you all need to know what we're up against, and who."

Meliodas watched him for a moment before nodding.

"What do you mean who?" Guila asked.

"The members of the Ten Commandments," Oswald said. "The current ones. You need to know who they are and what they can do."

"And you know this how?" King asked.

"Because I'm a lot older than you all understand," Oswald said. "I was there during the last battle."

"You're over three thousand years old?" they all gaped, minus Jenna, Zaneri, or Meliodas.

"Yeah," Oswald said. "Anyway, first, there's Zeldris, the leader. Read clothes, short sword, black hair, about Meliodas's age. His Commandment is Piety. If you turn your back to Zeldris, his commandment will take control of you and you will serve him. Next is Estarossa, Zeldris's older brother. Blue clothes. Silver hair. His Commandment is Love. Any who stand before Estarossa with hatred in their hearts will be left completely powerless and unable to harm anyone."

"How the hell do we beat that!?" Howzer interrupted.

"We'll deal with that when we get around to it," Oswald said. "He and Zeldris are both so powerful that they make Galland look like a Holy Knight Apprentice, so you won't be fighting him, Howzer."

Howzer swallowed hard.

"Obviously there's Galland, who you can't lie to without turning to stone," Oswald said. "After him is Melascula. Long pink hair. White leotard."

"Floats around on a cloud of darkness," Meliodas adds.

"Her Commandment is Faith," Oswald said. "Hers is a bit tricky. Any who show faithlessness before her have their eyes set ablaze."

"That's...lovely," Gilthunder sighed.

"What, so we have to be religious?" Howzer asked. "And we can't cheat?"

"No," Oswald said. "You can't doubt. Yourself, your comrades, your cause. You have to be one hundred percent confident in everything you do around her."

"Well that's easy," Howzer said.

"Do you believe Gilthunder could beat Meliodas in a fight right now?" Oswald asked.

"No," Howzer said.

"You just lost your eyes," Oswald said.

"I retract my statement," Howzer said.

"Who's next?" Diane asked.

"Next up is Monspeet," Oswald said. "He has a white cape and a thin mustache. His Commandment is Reticence. Those who try to speak hidden emotions of feelings in front of Monspeet have their voices blocked."

"What, so if you confess your love for someone in front of him you go mute?" King asked.

"Basically, but it doesn't have to be just a confession of love," Oswald said. "People hide all kinds of things. Doubt about someone. Hatred. Hobbies. Anything that isn't public knowledge. With Monspeet at all times..." he took a long slow breath, hands curling into fists, "...is Derieri. She's got long, messy orange hair, and the only thing she wears is darkness."

"Wait, she's naked?" Howzer asked.

"Completely," Meliodas nodded.

"Derieri is mine," Oswald growled, eyes staring at Meliodas, who stared back in silence.

"I can't promise-"

"She's _mine_," Oswald snarled. "I have a score to settle with her, and you're _not_ going to get in the way of that. I don't ask for much, but I'm not asking for this. I'm telling you, Derieri is mine."

"What are her powers?" Merlin asked.

"Her main threat is called Combo Star," Oswald said. "Each successive strike she lands is stronger than the last. No one's ever made it past fifty and lived to tell about it. Her Commandment is called Purity, though I actually don't know what it does."

"It causes any who are truly pure of heart to switch alignment," Meliodas said. "Those who are pure good turn pure evil, and those who are pure evil turn pure good. It doesn't see much use."

"Doesn't sound it," Gilthunder said. "So, who are the last four?"

"Fraudrin," Meliodas said. "Currently, he's possessing Dreyfus. His true form is a big purple demon with spikes all over his body. His Commandment is Selflessness. If anyone harbors greed in their hearts, they will lose their memories and all sense of self. However, he's more of a stand-in commandment. He was swapped in last minute when the last one died."

"After him comes Greyroad," Oswald said. "A mass of darkness and creepy faces all over it. Commandment of Pacifism. Anyone who kills in Greyroad's presence will have their time stolen from them and rapidly age until they die. The last two are...more complicated."

"Why?" Diane asked.

"They weren't demons originally," Meliodas said. "They joined the Demon Clan during the last Holy War, one for power, and the other because he was betrayed."

"Who were they?" Guila asked.

"Drole and Gloxinia," Oswald said.

"WHAT!?" Diane and King both shouted.

"That's impossible!" King argued.

"He's right," Meliodas said. "Drole, the king of the Giant Clan, current holder of the Commandment Patience. And Gloxinia, first Fairy King, holder of the Commandment Repose. You'll know them when you see them."

"So, can we go now?" Jericho asked.

"Not yet," Oswald said. "I need to get stronger still."

"But you're still holding back," Jenna said. "And besides, you're beating Red Demons and Shades with a stick. You don't realize it, but you actually _have_ gotten stronger."

"It's not enough," Oswald said. "I need to be on level with the Ten Commandments. Or else I can't settle things with Derieri."

Everyone was silent for a long moment.

"Fine," Jenna sighed. "Instead of training, let me give you some advice."

"What?" Oswald asked.

"Ditch the toothpick," Jenna said, pointing to his sword. "It's beautifully made, and it's about as durable as a Sacred Treasure, but if you want to get stronger, you'll need a real weapon."

"What do you suggest?" Oswald asked.

"Well," Jenna said thoughtfully, holding a hand to her chin. "Against demons, I heard about one weapon owned by the Celestials that would be perfect, or, well, probably."

"I'm not going anywhere near any Goddess Race or offshoot races if I can avoid it," Oswald said.

"Alright," Jenna nodded. "Then in that case, there's one other option. How's your archery?"

"Not as good as my sword work, why?" Oswald asked.

"There's a relic, a Sacred Treasure that was once wielded by a member of the Goddess Race," Jenna said.

"You can't really mean for _him_ to wield that, can you?" Zaneri asked. "He's..._him_! He'd defile that holy relic."

"I don't think so," Jenna said. "He's not the monster everyone treats him as. I think he's actually quite noble."

"Big change from when I first got here," Oswald said. "Where is it?"

"Liones," Jenna said.

"Actually, I destroyed the Horn of Cernunnos," Meliodas said.

"Good," Oswald said.

"Not that one," Jenna said. "It's in the vaults, hidden away to keep it safe."

"Why didn't we know about this while we were still there?" Oswald asked.

"Because no one even remembers it's there," Jenna said. "Be forewarned. Being as you are, it may reject you, in which case, you'll die."

Oswald nodded. "I'll make do. I don't suppose there's any way to turn this sword into a sacred treasure?"

"No," Jenna said. "That sword's only going to hold you back."

Oswald nodded and sighed, looking toward the gate they had entered through. "Alright. So what's next?"

"We find Escanor," Meliodas said.

"But why?" Hawke asked. "You're strong enough yourself, aren't you?"

"Escanor's even stronger than I am," Meliodas said.

Everyone stared at him as he walked away before all falling in to follow him in silence.

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Trouble

Oswald remained silent as the others chatted away. His senses were rivetted on the fight. Ban was fighting against Melascula and Galland. And winning. Ban had probably stolen their strength, because his power had rocketed up to about half what Galland's had been, while Galland's dropped to a little below half. Then, he began to beat Galland around and around. However, Melascula wasn't being hurt. Not only that, but her power, which had spread itself to multiple places around Britannia, wasn't fading. Whatever she had done, it wasn't ending. And just after she had done it, King had taken off, presumably to investigate.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked, stopping beside him.

"Melascula's power spread over the country, and a bunch of new powers appeared," Oswald said. "One of them attacked Ban, but after a bit it stopped. Now he's fighting Galland and Melascula. However, he can't win."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"He can't steal enough strength to win quickly, and he can't hold it long enough to win slowly," Oswald said. "His magic's starting to burn itself out."

"And the Commandments' he's fighting?" Merlin asked.

"Neither have taken significant damage," Oswald said.

"Can he escape?" Merlin asked.

"No," Oswald said. "If he holds the power too long, he'll be left helpless."

"So what do we do?" Merlin asked.

"He needs help," Oswald sighed. "Send me."

"You'll probably die," Merlin said.

"I only need to be there for a few seconds," Oswald said. "Just long enough for Ban to escape. Beside, they'll chase me. I'm more of a target than anyone except Meliodas."

"Can you survive against them?" Merlin asked.

"No," Oswald said. "I'll die if I stay there long."

"How long do you need?" Merlin asked.

"Give me thirty seconds," Oswald said. "After that, bring me back."

Merlin nodded and Oswald closed his eyes. A moment later, his senses screamed at him and he opened his eyes, drawing his sword in time to deflect Galland's hand as it reached for a sphere of light. Oswald instantly recognized it as a soul and grabbed it, dropping to the ground and lunging at Ban's body, shoving it into his mouth before hurling Ban at the girl in the black dress with short blonde hair that was behind him.

"Go now!" he shouted.

Ban flipped, landing on his feet and grabbed the girl, taking off at a sprint. Oswald spun, ducking under Galland's staff before lunging, sword glowing as he slashed at him, Galland leaping backward. A massive fist of darkness shot at him from the side and he flipped into the air over it, flipping and slamming a foot into Melascula, launching her into Galland. Then, as he landed, he held his arms out, his wings spreading themselves out to the sides, both shining. Then, the feathers all exploded off of them, streaking through the air and around, tearing into the two demons in a crossfire of sharpened, magical feathers, the two demons' blood spraying into the air as they did. As soon as the feathers had stopped, Oswald shot forward, leaping over Melascula and slashing at Galland, scoring a hit across the gem in the center of his chest, Galland staggering backward, screaming in pain. Oswald flipped, landing on his feet and ducked under Melascula's darkness before lunging, stabbing at her, only for more darkness to crash into his side, sending him flying. He flipped, landing on his feet before hurling himself to the side, Galland's staff barely missing him as it exploded into the ground.

"You've powered up since we last met," Galland commented as he easily stepped around Oswald's blade again and again.

Finally, he twisted, throwing a punch at Oswald, only for his fist to crash into a super-compressed Heaven's Shield beside Oswald's forearm, sending Oswald flying but not breaking the shield. Oswald flipped, driving his sword into the ground and skidding to a stop before streaking forward again. Galland pulled his spear free of the ground and grinned, streaking forward and slashing at him, only for Oswald to flip over it and swipe his hand upward, feathers exploding out of the ground below Galland, tearing into him once again, Galland screaming in pain. The feathers stopped tearing at him just as Oswald's sword bit into Galland's shoulder, only for darkness to crash into his gut, hurling him backward away from Galland.

"You sent some of your feathers into the ground as a trap," Melascula said. "Impressive. You almost got Galland with that. That holy power of yours is very dangerous."

"I'm still bleeding!" Galland shouted from where he had collapsed, Oswald's magic having kept both of their wounds from sealing like they normally would.

"It's his magic," Melascula. "He can charge it with holy power in order to make it effect us far more than any other kind of attack would."

"I'll kill-"

Oswald kicked a rock, sending it crashing into Galland's forehead, cutting him off. "Careful you don't bind yourself to an oath you can't keep, Galland." Then, he blinked and was standing in front of Merlin again.

"You're alive!" Jericho cheered, throwing her arms around him from behind. "Were you hurt?"

"Nothing permanent," Oswald said. "A few bumps and bruises. I got lucky and caught them by surprise."

"What happened to your wings?" Merlin asked, staring at the bald appendages.

"Don't worry about that," Oswald said, glancing back at them and the feathers slowly growing back in. "They'll be useable again in a few minutes. The real problem is that Galland and Melascula might be on their way here."

"Are they?" Merlin asked.

Oswald focused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, they're chasing Ban and some blonde fairy."

"I see," Merlin nodded. "Do you want me to send you back? Perhaps with Ban's help-"

"No," Oswald said. "If you send me back now, it won't change anything. Ban will have to handle it alone."

"Lady Merlin," Guila said, walking over with Gowther. "I would like you to send me back to Liones Castle."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"I want to be there to protect Zeal, and I can also find the relic that girl was talking about," Guila said.

"Very well," Merlin nodded. "We'll be by to collect it as soon as we can. Until then, keep it safe."

Guila nodded and Merlin snapped her fingers, Guila vanishing.

"Are you okay with this Gowther?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Gowther nodded. "This will also give me time to reflect on what I have learned since we left the kingdom."

Oswald nodded. He looked up at the darkening sky. "I wonder how long it'll be."

"How long?" Merlin asked.

"Until I see Derieri again," Oswald said, hands curling into fists. "I don't know if it's fate or bad luck that she's one of the ten Commandments."

"How do you know her?" Jericho asked as the four of them walked into the bar.

"Back before the last Holy War, when I was a child, Derieri spent every day beating me to within an inch of my life," Oswald said.

"_Before_ the Holy War?" Jericho gaped. "Just how old are you!?"

"Old," Oswald said. "Very, very old."

"You age really well," Howzer said.

"That's a part of my sin," Oswald said.

"Sin?" Slader asked.

"Existence," Oswald said, accepting a bottle of liquor from Meliodas. "My sin is existence."

"Why do the Goddesses hate you?" Gilthunder asked. "What did you do to be banished?"

"I was born," Oswald said. "From the day I was conceived...or maybe even before then, my entire existence has been a sin."

Everyone stared at him. He took a large swig from the bottle and sighed.

"I'm not getting any more specific than that," Oswald said. "Just know that I'm not actually the Demon Sin of Existence. It's the wrong creature. There's a more accurate one."

"What?" Jericho asked.

"Which one?" Arthur asked.

"I'm confused," Howzer said. "Is he a Deadly Sin now?"

"Yeah," Meliodas nodded. "He's like a stand in, but he's also the Eight Deadly Sin. The Demon Sin of Existence."

"Demon Sin?" Howzer asked. "But he's a Goddess isn't he?"

"Technically he's an Angel," Elizabeth corrected. "He says it's an offshoot race."

"So, wait, what's a more fitting creature for the sin of existence than a demon?" Arthur asked.

"Well that would be..." Merlin trailed off, watching Oswald as he drank silently. "Oh. I see. That explains it then."

"What?" Jericho asked.

"Search-"

"If you use your magic to find out what she means, I'll kill you, Gowther," Oswald said. "And trust me when I tell you, I have a way to kill you, doll or not."

"Doll?" Diane asked. "He's a doll?"

"That's right," Gowther nodded.

Oswald sighed, after a few more minutes, standing with the rest of the bottle. "I'm going to bed. Wake me up if any of the Commandments show up." He walked up to his room, dropping onto the bed and tipping the bottle back, taking several long swigs before setting it beside the bed, then raised his hand over his head, staring at it. "Dammit. Why can't they just hurry up and kill me already?"

After a moment, the door creaked open and he looked over, seeing Jericho peeking into the room.

"What?" he asked.

"I...I wanted to see if you needed anything," Jericho said.

"You're wasting your time," Oswald said, rolling away from her. "You won't be able to win my heart. I'm sorry. I know it hurts, but I'm not going to fall in love with you. I can't feel love. There's too much hate."

"Maybe that's because no one's ever loved you," Jericho said, sitting on her edge of the bed and tentatively reaching out, setting her hand on his shoulder. "Has anyone ever loved you?"

"I've had sex before," Oswald said.

"I didn't ask about sex," Jericho said. "I asked if you've ever been loved."

Oswald remained silent.

"Please let me show you," Jericho said.

"You won't win my heart," Oswald warned.

"I don't need to," Jericho said. "I just need you to know."

Oswald turning his head slightly, staring at her for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Alright."

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	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Maze

Oswald sat up from the bed, raising a hand to his face and rubbing his eyes. He glanced back at Jericho, who was still asleep, covered by the sheet. Then, he stood, picking up his liquor bottle and finished it in a few gulps, hurling it out the window. He pulled on a clean set of clothes, consisting of a loose blue shirt with the sleeves rolled to just below his elbows, a sleeveless yellow trench coat, a pair of grey pants, and a pair of black boots, then picked up his sword and sack, walking out of the room to the bar. he set his things on the bar and reached over it, getting himself another bottle only to stop as Meliodas caught his arm.

"What's wrong?" Meliodas asked.

Oswald stared at the bottle in silence for a long while before pulling it up from behind the bar, opening it and taking a swig. "I exist. And the only people who seem to actually care only care because they don't know what I am, besides you and Elizabeth, who wouldn't care if she knew. Merlin just wants to experiment on me, and if the others knew they'd all avoid me, just like everyone else."

"And Jericho?" Meliodas asked.

Oswald shrugged. "She insisted. I warned her it wouldn't be what she wanted."

"Do you think she'd avoid you?" Meliodas asked.

Oswald stared at his bottle in silence before taking a long swig. "I don't care. I just want to find someone who's powerful enough to finally kill me."

"But you know what that would mean," Meliodas said.

"And I'd welcome it," Oswald said. "Anything to finally escape this hell called life."

"But you won't kill yourself," Meliodas said.

"No," Oswald said. "I have too much of my parents in me for that."

Just as he raised his bottle again, he froze, a massive power registering in his senses. He turned, staring out the door, Meliodas doing the same. Then, as Oswald extended his senses, the power continued to climb, only for Galland's, whose own power had nearly doubled as he fought whoever owned the massive power, to vanish. A moment later, the gigantic one did as well, leaving only Melascula. However, after a moment, the roles reversed and her power dropped like a rock as the massive one returned, continuing to climb. Though, Melascula's power didn't disappear. It was simply left on the very brink of death.

"Escanor?" Oswald asked.

"Yeah," Meliodas nodded. "No doubt about it."

Just then, Merlin stepped into the room, nodding her agreement to Meliodas, and Arthur and Slade both followed her out of the stairwell, Arthur yawning.

"Good morning," Slader said. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't," Oswald said.

"Yeah, it didn't sound-" Arthur stopped as Slader elbowed him.

"Don't," Slader warned, watching Oswald's hand trembling slightly as he raised the bottle to his lips again.

As he set it down, Jericho walked over, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"What are you doing?" Oswald asked.

"My feelings don't stop at the bedroom door," Jericho said. "I asked you to let me show you how it feels to be loved, not how it feels to have sex."

Oswald stared at the bar for several seconds. "Something's coming."

Everyone turned to the door, Oswald and Meliodas both stepping out of the door just as a Blue Demon, a withered, featherless, bird-like demon with darkness for wings, shot over them, dropping fliers. Oswald and Meliodas both caught one, staring at it.

"The Great Vaizel Fighting Festival will be held in a few days," Meliodas read. "The winner gets any wish granted."

"It's a trap," Oswald said, eyes closed and senses extended. "Drole and Gloxinia are at Vaizel."

"Oswald's right," Hendrickson said. "No matter how you look at it, it's definitely a trap."

"We should enter," Oswald said, staring ahead of them blankly.

"Are you serious!?" Jericho demanded. "You just said it's the Ten Commandments!"

"It is," Oswald said. "Two of the more powerful ones. And it's likely that other extremely powerful people will be drawn in by the festival. Knowing who's in charge, it'll probably have all fights be to the death."

"Are you sure about this?" Meliodas asked. "Is this to stop the Sins?"

Oswald didn't answer.

"You don't want to win, do you?" Jericho asked. "You're hoping someone will kill you!"

"I'm always hoping someone will kill me," Oswald said.

Jericho stepped up behind him, spinning him around and slapping him, hard. "You idiot! What do you think I would do if you died!?"

Oswald again remained silent. He turned back to the front, resting his forearms on the railing. The others looked around at each other before turning to Meliodas for an answer.

"We're going," Meliodas said. "But Oswald, as the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, you are absolutely not allowed to die."

Oswald sighed. "You're too cruel Meliodas. Fine. You have my word. I won't die. Yet."

Meliodas nodded and turned, walking back inside. Most of the others followed, only Jericho remaining. She stepped up behind Oswald, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"I know you don't feel the same, but please don't die," Jericho said, voice trembling. "For me."

Oswald remained silent. She was cruel too. Because he was guilty. He wanted to be able to return her feelings, but he couldn't. And he knew that it really would hurt her if he died. Guilt cut through him like a jagged blade.

"That's not fair," Oswald said. "You don't know what you're asking."

"I'm asking you to live," Jericho said. "I'm asking you to suffer, so that I don't have to say goodbye. I'm asking you to let me be selfish."

Oswald swallowed hard. He was heartless. He had to be. Because he didn't love her. Because he couldn't make that promise. After a few more minutes, Jericho released him, walking back inside. Oswald stared down at the ground before them in silence. After a few hours, they finally reached a hill overlooking Vaizel, only for Hawk's Mom to stop, all of them coming out to see why, joining Oswald in staring down the hill at the gigantic maze below them. It was spread over miles around the massive boulder Diane had dropped on Vaizel, which had been levelled off. However, given what Oswald remembered of the boulder's height, the maze walls were easily three hundred feet tall by comparison.

"So we have to travel through a maze to get there?" Meliodas asked.

Oswald hurled one of the mugs from Meliodas's bar and it sailed out over the maze, only for a massive spike of stone to erupt out of the top of the maze and impale it perfectly. "Yes."

"Alright," Meliodas smiled. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah," Oswald mumbled. "Fun."

He pulled on his sack and sword before they all left the bar, heading down the hill to the wall and walking inside. He pushed his coat back out of the way and stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked, Jericho stepping up beside him.

"Hey, if you're going to try to impersonate Ban, could you at least try to be drunk happy Ban?" Meliodas asked.

"Seriously, you being moody is really getting annoying," Diane said. "What happened to upset you so much?"

"You wouldn't understand," Oswald said. "You aren't constantly being reminded that your existence is a mistake. That you're a stain on existence that needs to be erased."

"You're not," Jericho said. "It will never be wrong for you to exist. Not as long as there's at least one person who accepts you."

Oswald sighed, staring at the ground just as something behind them slammed and they spun, seeing the others were gone. Jericho clung to him instantly and Oswald's left hand wrapped around her as his right drew his sword.

"Where'd they go?" Jericho asked.

"I can sense them in tunnels on either side, of us," Oswald said. "And a couple below. Looks like there are traps in here."

Jericho's hold on him tightened. "I'm scared."

"Relax," Oswald said. "None of my friends are dying today."

Jericho nodded and Oswald turned, Jericho releasing him but slipping her hand into his free one. He glanced at her but she looked genuinely terrified.

"Please," Jericho said. "I don't want to get separated from you."

"Alright," Oswald sighed. "But I might need to take my hand back to fight at some point."

Jericho nodded and they walked on in silence. The maze was a lot harder than Oswald originally expected. they ended up backtracking several times, and then repeated paths multiple times as well. After multiple hours, and multiple hours after the sun had set, the sky began to lighten again and Oswald sighed, sitting against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Jericho asked.

"Resting," Oswald said. "We'll be fighting against the others, and also against two of the Ten Commandments when we get there. We need to not be exhausted."

Jericho looked hesitant for a moment before nodding, sitting beside him and looking around nervously. He sighed, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her against him.

"Rest," Oswald said. "Nothing's going to hurt you."

Jericho relaxed at that, resting her head on his shoulder and drifting off to sleep quickly. Oswald remained awake for a little while longer before also drifting off to sleep. A few hours later, he stirred, gently shaking Jericho awake. She yawned, looking around.

"I was kind of hoping this was all a dream," Jericho said.

"Unfortunately no," Oswald said.

Jericho nodded and placed a light kiss on his cheek before standing. Oswald sighed, pushing himself up as well, then flipped his sword up to himself with his foot, continuing down the path they had been in after he had caught it, Jericho again taking his hand. They walked in silence for about an hour before running into trouble. A massive set of jaws exploded out of the ground from below them, snapping closed within a couple of seconds, though not before Oswald had flown out of their reach, holding Jericho in his arms bridal style.

"Hang onto my back," he said, swinging her around behind himself, Jericho clinging to him.

Then, he gripped his sword with both hands and dropped. The Earth Crawler, a giant creature like a fish with an alligator's mouth that swam through the ground and was big enough to swallow several Diane's whole at once, leapt into the air at them. However, Oswald slashed, an arc of blinding white light shooting outward and expanding, splitting it in half. Then, as they landed, on the ground, another burst out from each side, Oswald spinning and sending out a ring before flying into the air again, the upper and lower halves of the two Earth Crawlers stacking on top of one another staggered in the center of the open area they were in.

"You're amazing!" Jericho cheered. "Why didn't you use that against Galland?"

"It's an area of effect attack," Oswald said. "It's actual power at any given point is weaker than you think. It's got about a quarter the power of me just slashing directly. It wouldn't have left a mark on Galland."

"I see," Jericho nodded as Oswald began to drift through the passages of the maze using his wings, allowing her to ride on his back like a piggyback.

Finally, he landed and Jericho dropped off of his back. Just as she did, a massive column of stone fell at them from above. Jericho screamed, dropping into a crouch, only for the column to explode against Oswald's fist, being blasted into pebbles. She stood, sighing and slipping her hand into his, only for him to pull it back and walk forward.

"That's not necessary anymore," he said.

"Why?" she asked, following, only to stare as they stepped into a massive clearing with the bolder above them.

"We're here," Oswald said, glaring up at the two beings on top of the bolder.

Drole was blue-skinned and was double Diane's height with a white rag over his face, long brown hair, and blue eyes. Gloxinia had long auburn hair, and the rest of his body hidden by thick tentacle-like vines, all of them tipped in black.

"So you really _are_ alive," Gloxinia said. "Galland was quite certain he had killed you. But since Meliodas was alive, we all had our doubts. Derieri was quite surprised to hear you were alive. And quite furious. She was angry that Galland had supposedly killed you."

"I can imagine she was, yeah," Oswald nodded, just as the wall exploded into a hole that was round on one side, then a massive gash on the other.

Oswald was able to sense Meliodas, Ban, Arthur, Merlin, Elizabeth, Howzer, Diane, and Gilthunder from the far side, and spread around the clearing were Slader, Gowther, Elaine, King, a guy wearing loose clothes with a katana, a small girl with a lute, a blonde giant with a peg leg, and a couple other randos that Oswald payed no attention.

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	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Fighting Festival

Oswald skidded to a stop. He was too late. Escanor, a scrawny, unassuming man who had self-esteem issues that made him seem confident and proud, had broken his glasses. Gloxinia had impaled him for it. Oswald saw it coming and was too slow to react.

"I...I don't...want to die," Escanor said, staring up at the sky. "I still...haven't...told Merlin..."

"Escanor!" Merlin gasped, dropping to her knees beside him, staring at the wound.

It took up most of his abdomen. She couldn't do anything.

"The sooner we get this Fighting Festival started, the sooner we can start granting people's wishes," Gloxinia said. "Like this. Spirit Spear Basquias, Seventh Configuration, Moon Rose." His tentacle opened into a massive purple flower, a droplet of nectar growing at the end of a feeler-like thing in the center. "Droplet of Life."

The droplet fell, landing on Escanor's head and his body shone instantly. The wound began to steam and shrink, and a matter of seconds later, he was healed. Oswald stared in shock. Escanor sat up, feeling his abdomen before looking to Merlin, who smiled and stood, helping him up.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Merlin smiled.

"I don't believe it," Oswald said. "That's...incredible."

"Now that I've given you a taste of our wish-granting power," Gloxinia said, "Would you mind sorting them Drole?"

"Sure," Drole said. "You said teams of two, right?"

A moment later, the ground below them exploded upward, crashing together as they rose toward the fingertips of the two massive stone hands he had formed before, just after Gloxinia had killed everyone still in the maze. Oswald shook his head and turned to see who his chosen partner was, expecting to see Jericho. Instead, he stared at Merlin, who looked pleasantly surprised as well.

"Well well, my lucky day," Merlin smiled. "I was afraid I'd be fighting alone."

"I could say the same," Oswald said. "Or I'd be protecting Jericho the entire time."

"Yes, about her," Merlin said.

"No, about you," Oswald said. "You seemed pretty worried about Escanor earlier."

Merlin smiled, shrugging. "He's a comrade."

"Really?" Oswald asked. "Is that all?"

Again Merlin merely smiled.

"And Arthur?" Oswald asked. "He's in love with you too, right?"

Merlin shrugged again. Oswald sighed, shaking his head before looking around. They were nearing a fingertip. He stepped off onto the fingertip just as Elizabeth and Elaine began their fight against a pair of assassins from somewhere Oswald hadn't heard of. The fight was brief. The assassins tried to use smoke to cover their attack, but Elaine blasted them, fatally wounding one, only for Elizabeth to heal him. Then, Gloxinia and Drole killed the assassins for losing. The next fight was Meliodas and Ban against a pair of Blue Demons. Except, Ban and Meliodas began to argue about whether Elaine or Elizabeth was better looking, or a better girlfriend, and about whether a petite form like Elaine's felt better than a more filled out one like Elizabeth's. And then they started to fight. As they fought, the larger of the two Blue Demons shot past, taking Ban's hand, only for him to ignore it, regrowing his hand and continuing to argue. The smaller one took a pass at Meliodas, but when his hand hit Meliodas's head, it remained there, the demon continuing. Meliodas flicked the hand off and the demon swung around for another pass, only for Ban to punch Meliodas _through_ the demon's head. Then, Meliodas kicked Ban backward into the other Blue Demon, killing it.

"They're fucking monsters," Oswald said. "I wonder who's next."

Just then, King and Diane's floating chunk of ground reached Oswald and Merlin's fingertip and the two dropped off onto the fingertip, both teams staring at their opponents.

"Well King, looks like you get to try to kill me after all," Oswald said.

"Y...You're...our opponents?" King asked.

"I don't want to fight my friends," Diane said.

"Merlin," Oswald said. "Go ahead and make Diane full-size. She'll need her strength, whether for us, or for them."

Merlin nodded, extending a hand. "Absolute Cancel. Port."

Diane began to expand, her outfit ripping off, only to be instantly replaced by her giant outfit and Gideon.

"We don't have a choice Diane," Oswald said. "I'm sorry. But neither of you is strong enough to handle them. Merlin and I will be the ones to progress beyond here."

Diane and King both bristled, readying themselves.

"If that really is Drole and Gloxinia, it's our responsibility to deal with them," Diane said. "So we're not losing to you."

"Besides," King said, smirking. "I've had all this time to figure you out. I know exactly how to counter your strikes."

Oswald smirked and crouched, then exploded forward, kicking up dirt as he did. King swung his hand forward and Chastiefol shot out to meet him, only for him to deflect it. king smirked, swinging his hand back the other way, only for Oswald to spun, flipping over the now spinning spear and slip his sword into the ring at the base of the blade, then spin, hurling it at King. King held up his hand and the spear halted, the side of the shaft resting against his cheek. He narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, the spear breaking down into a swarm of smaller blades, which swarmed toward Oswald. However, before it could reach him, Oswald swung a hand, two fingers extended. A glowing white ring formed around king and shrunk inward, the blades all falling to the ground, along with King. Oswald smirked as he sped toward King.

"Sorry King, but Elizabeth can heal you after!"

He pulled his sword back, only for Gideon to swing down and crash into him, sending him flying. He spun and flipped as he sped away from the battle, only to flip and stop himself with his wings. Then, he flipped to the side as Chastiefol shot past. he flipped, blocking it and it instantly swung around, crashing into his gut and launching him back into the fingertip. He crashed down beside Merlin, his wings both breaking, and rolled to a stop, Diane resting a foot on him, pinning him down.

"Stay put," Diane said. "I'm not letting you hurt King. I don't want to crush you, but I'll do it a thousand times before I let King be hurt."

Oswald sighed, nodding. "Alright. Merlin. Do it."

Then, he was standing beside Merlin again. When Diane stepped forward to try and attack, a Perfect Cube appeared around them. Oswald sighed, looking to the center where Taizoo, a heavily muscled man, was being held hostage by Drole and Gloxinia.

"The winners are Merlin and Oswald," Taizoo announced.

"Dammit, this was never a fair matchup," King complained.

"No it wasn't," Oswald agreed. "But now that you're in there, you and Diane have plenty of time to finally be honest with each other."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" King stammered.

"Then you have plenty of time to figure it out," Oswald said, turning and looking around, finding the next match easily.

It was Jericho and Gowther against Hawk and Escanor, who Oswald was still trying to figure out how he was a Deadly Sin, let alone one strong enough to kill Galland and Melascula single-handedly. However, the fight wasn't going as was expected of a fight. Actually, there was no fight at all. Escanor was begging Gloxinia to allow him to forfeit.

"They're my precious friends and I absolutely refuse to fight them!" Escanor shouted.

"That's what makes this so much fun!" Gloxinia smiled. "To get a wish granted, humans will do absolutely anything, no matter how cruel or vile it may be. That's just the kind of race you all are, isn't it?"

"Ca...Ca-Ca...Captain!" Escanor shouted, turning to Meliodas, who looked completely emotionless, watching the scene in silence.

"Listen!" Jericho was yelling at Gowther, who had stated that he'd kill whoever he had to in order to wish for a heart, with which he would grieve for their deaths. "If we start fighting amongst ourselves, comrades on comrades, we're playing right into their hands!"

"Comrades?" Gowther asked. "What makes us comrades? Is it because we've fought together? Because we're on a journey together? Because we dine together? People constantly use that word when it's convenient for them, but in reality it's a very vague and ambiguous word."

"I don't really know myself," Jericho said. "But...having feelings for someone, and when that person is hurting, wanting to do whatever you can to help them, one heart connected to another...isn't that what it means to be comrades?"

Guilt ripped through Oswald in an agonizing wave, one which physically hurt, making him raise a hand to his chest, gritting his teeth.

"How wonderful," Gowther said. "That just makes me want a heart all the more."

"You son of a bitch!" Jericho shouted, lunging for him as Gowther began to raise a hand.

However, as she brought her hands down at the back of his neck in an attempt to knock him out, his foot swung around, crashing into the side of her head and hurling her to the side, unconscious. Oswald's fists clenched so hard he felt the skin on his palms tear, but he stood motionless otherwise. Gowther would pay for hurting his friends. However, before that, Gowther had to finish his fight. He dealt with Hawk easily, driving his head into the ground. Then, he used Nightmare Teller on Escanor, out of respect for his title as Lion Sin of Pride. However, just as Gowther stepped away, Escanor's power began to skyrocket. The massive stone hands they were on began to tremble as Escanor's body began to swell, his muscles bulging rapidly, his shirt ripping off of him in seconds.

Oswald stared at him in complete shock. It couldn't be. It was physically impossible. Or magically. Or literally. Or whatever. That power was gone. It had vanished thousands of years ago. And it couldn't be held by a human anyway. It would burn them to ash. it was impossible. And yet, it's what Oswald was watching.

The moment he was done transforming, Escanor's hand snapped out, stealing Gowther's glasses. In response, Gowther began to rapidly blind-fire bolts of pink magic, Hawk and Jericho both waking and beginning to dodge as Escanor leapt into the air, holding out his hand.

"Heed my will!" Escanor thundered. "Come to me, Divine Axe Rhitta!"

After a moment, a golden axe with the blade being attached to the handle by a carving of a Goddess spun through the air, Escanor catching it by the handle.

"Sunshine," Oswald said. "Your boyfriend's got Sunshine!?"

Merlin looked over at him, one eyebrow raised. "You know this power?"

"It's...not possible," Oswald breathed.

"Sacred Treasure Release," Escanor said.

It was like a switch was flipped. Oswald blinked and suddenly had to shield his eyes from the light shining from the axe like a sun. There was so much power flowing from the axe that he thought he might combust on the spot.

"Old man, what are you planning to do!?" Jericho's voice shouted.

"He'll...blow them all away," Oswald said. "He'll kill her."

"So?" Merlin asked. "If you don't love her, then what difference should it make?"

"She's still my friend!" Oswald snapped.

"So is Hawke," Merlin said. "Why is your reaction so much stronger for Jericho?"

Oswald turned back to the fight as Escanor spoke.

"For the sin of toying with the hearts of others, atone for your deeds with your body!" Gowther slammed his hands together and fired a single bolt that curved up at Escanor as Escanor swung the axe, all of the light focusing into a single blast, flashing downward.

Then, the arrow hit Escanor and he fell, collapsing to the ground in a deep sleep. However, the blow had been struck. Oswald had forced himself to watch, as had Merlin and Meliodas. So, a moment later, when the light faded, they watched as dust curled into the sky from the boulder between the hands, the boulder Gloxinia and Drole had been standing on. Oswald swung his hand, his magic power pulsing outward and clearing the dust, revealing the two Commandments lying on the ground in a bloody heap.

"This festival is over," Oswald said as the Perfect Cube behind him faded.

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	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Reunited

Meliodas leapt at the downed Commandments, instantly charging Drole, since he was the only one currently capable of moving, and kicked his first punch away, then deflected the other three at once before jumping off Drole's torso and delivering an uppercut that sent blood spraying out of Drole's mouth. Then, he drew Lostvayne, slashing as Drole moved two arms into the way to defend himself, only for both arms to be completely amputated just below the elbow, a gash forming in his chest as well. Oswald reached for his sword, however, before he could do anything, Drole's remaining hands clapped and the massive stone hands hurled them all together before closing, trapping them all and beginning to shake, likely dropping into the ground.

"Dammit!" Oswald snarled, picking himself out of a tangle of limbs, finding Merlin standing off tot he side with her crystal ball. "Show me."

Merlin nodded and an image of the fight was projected onto the wall of their prison instantly. Meliodas was absolutely demolishing them both. Drole was on the ground with all of his arms gone, and Meliodas was just passing out of a hole in a massive creature made of roots that Gloxinia had tried to defend himself with.

"Can you get us all to Liones from here?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded. "It should be fairly easy."

Oswald nodded and Merlin focused for a moment before snapping her fingers. A moment later, they were in Liones Castle, in Bartra's throne room. Oswald spun on a magician calling themselves Gilfrost and grabbed him by the collar.

"Take me to the vault, right now," Oswald snarled.

"Why would he know?" Gilthunder asked.

"Because _she_ is that annoying mage working for Hendrickson before," Oswald said.

The mage was covered by smoke for a moment before being left as her true form, Oswald raising his sword to her throat.

"Vault," Oswald said. "I need to get something."

She swallowed hard and nodded. Then, they were both in a room filled with old weapons, shield, gems, goblets, chests, and other random items, all of it looking priceless.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" she asked.

"Not a clue," Oswald said, looking around before stopping on a weapon. "Bingo."

He could sense its aura. It had remnants of holy magic in it. He grabbed it and the mage teleported them back, Oswald glancing down at his new weapon. It was a pair of shortswords connected at the bottom of the hilts. Both swords were identical, a curved, half-leaf blade sharpened on both sides, and together they formed the shape of a bow, and when he focused he could form himself a glowing white arrow and a string formed between the points automatically. As he pulled back, the arrow elongated, pulling the blades backward like any bow, however, when he let the string and arrow fade, they snapped back into place and were as solid as his sword again. He nodded to himself as the ground shook, then turned to Merlin, who was watching the fight in her crystal ball again. And she was pale. Oswald could sense why, though.

"What's happening?" Oswald asked.

"The other Commandments just arrived," Merlin said. "Meliodas is completely surrounded."

Oswald held the bow out to her, Merlin taking it instantly. "Send me, and then send that when I tell you to."

Merlin nodded and Oswald blinked, opening his eyes on top of a massive boulder, overlooking the battlefield. Meliodas was indeed surrounded. The surviving eight commandments were all around him. And They were so focused on him that they didn't even notice Oswald. Even Derieri.

"Derieri," Oswald said, drawing his sword before she turned, staring up at him, eyes wide with surprise. "It's been a long time."

She stared at him for another moment before shrieking in rage and exploding off of the ground at him. His sword crashed into her left hand, which was formed from darkness, and he was sent streaking backward. He flipped, spreading his wings and stopping himself just in time to flip over her next strike. He shot toward her from behind, but she spun, her foot flashing up and deflecting his blade by kicking the flat of it. Then, her right fist exploded into his abdomen, sending him blasting backward. He flipped, driving his feet and sword into the ground, skidding to a stop before raising his head, watching her in silence.

"I swore I'd kill you!" Derieri snarled.

"Yes you did," Oswald nodded. "And I swore that I'd give you that chance."

"You can't save Meliodas," Derieri said.

"No," Oswald agreed. "He's going to die. And so am I. Finally."

Derieri grit her teeth before shrieking in rage again, exploding forward. Oswald dodged around her, his sword sparking against the darkness on her left hip. As soon as he was past, she spun, her darkness-covered right leg flashing around and crashing into his wings, breaking both and hurling him He bounced once before flipping, wings cracking loudly and agonizingly before healing, stopping him. He shot forward instantly, Derieri moving to meet his charge, shoving her left hand at him. He moved to block it with his sword, and suddenly he was skidding backward along the ground, Derieri's hand pressing against his sword, nearly pushing it into his chest.

"You really must be suicidal!" Derieri snarled. "You haven't even tried to use that holy power of yours! You can't hope to cut through my darkness without it!"

Oswald's feet slammed into her gut as he rolled backward, hurling her. Then, he flipped to his feet, turning to face her, breathing heavily. "I told you, I came here to give you the chance to kill me. I didn't come to kill you."

"You don't want to kill me?" Derieri snorted. "Right. After everything I did to you, how could you not?"

"Because I deserve it," Oswald said. "After what I did...what I let happen...I deserve to die."

"Then just die already!" Derieri shrieked, exploding forward, her left hand smashing through his sword entirely, slamming a punch into his torso, hurling him before she reappeared in his path. "You don't deserve to talk about that!" She slammed a kick into him, launching him through a boulder before he began to flip backward, Derieri appearing over him, hands clasped above him. "You don't deserve to talk about her!"

Oswald exploded straight down into the ground on the back end of her strike and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Derieri landed at the edge of the crater, glaring at him for a moment before spitting, turning to leave, only to freeze as he shifted his leg. She turned, staring back at him as he rose, floating into the air, his wings slowly darkening from pure white to black, darkness spreading from under his sleeves down the outside of his hands to his fingers, forming protection for his hands, then spread out of the collar of his shirt and up a few inches of his neck in thin lines before stopping. Oswald raised his head, his blood red eyes with pitch black Triskelia staring at her. She growled in rage, preparing herself for him to attack, only for him to float down and land on the opposite side of the crater from her.

"Look at me," he said. "This is what I am. What I've always been. I'm an Abomination. A mistake. A-"

"Nephilim," Derieri spat. "Offspring of a Goddess and a Demon. You're a stain on existence."

"Yes I am," Oswald agreed. "I tried to deny what I was. I tried to find people that would accept me. But everything I tried failed. All I was ever able to do was fail."

"And now you're going to get what you deserve!" Derieri spat. "You'll descend into oblivion!"

She exploded forward, striking at him rapidly, his own strikes meeting hers, punch for punch, kick for kick, claws for claws. Finally, she slipped a punch past his and drilled it into his chest, blood spraying out of his mouth again as he flew, only for his darkness to heal it. He flipped, landing on his feet in time to catch her fists, the ground below him cratering.

"Combo Star," Oswald said. "A fearsome power. But not one that I can't adjust to. You should remember."

"All I remember was a promise!" Derieri screamed, tears streaming down her face as her knee exploded into his abdomen, launching him backward, his darkness once again protecting him. "I remember being happy! And then I remember trusting you!" Her fist missed his head by a hair's breadth and his fist exploded into her gut, launching her into the air.

"I'm so-"

Derieri exploded down on him, then flipped, punting him, only to appear in front of him, punching him into the ground and beginning to pummel him. Finally, he flipped out of the crater, darkness slowly regenerating his wounds, alongside his holy magic, as he used to heal his wings usually.

"You don't get to apologize!" Derieri screamed. "Just die!"

Suddenly, Meliodas's power skyrocketed higher than all of the assembled Commandments together, only to vanish just as it was about to be unleashed.

"Estarossa's here," Oswald noted. "Meliodas is powerless. The fight's over."

"I should have never trusted you," Derieri said, trembling with rage and grief. "I should have known better than to, after all the times I had beaten you. But you were so kind. So forgiving. I should have known it was a lie!"

Oswald stared at the ground. "No one regrets that day more than me. I deserve to die for what I am. But even more than that, I deserve to die for what I've done."

"Then just stand still!" Derieri snarled, streaking forward, only for Oswald to avoid the punch, slamming a kick into her gut, launching her backward.

"I can't," Oswald said. "Because, I made a promise. I said that I wouldn't die. After seeing what I am, it probably won't matter anymore, but I can't die yet."

Derieri growled in rage. "I don't care what you want! You're going to die!"

She exploded forward, but just as she did, Meliodas's power vanished completely. Then, a massive flaming bird was flying at Oswald from behind. If he dodged, Derieri would take the hit. She wasn't paying attention, so she'd be blasted. He grit his teeth, the two attacks crashing into him from both sides before he fell. He crashed to the ground, gritting his teeth and beginning to push himself up just as Drole, Gloxinia, and Dreyfus landed around the crater he had formed. Drole threw a punch, Gloxinia sent his spear at Oswald, and Dreyfus sent a blast of energy, however, Oswald's wings flapped once and sent him spinning into the air.

"Now Merlin!" Oswald shouted.

His newest weapon appeared in front of him and he caught it. For a moment, the gold edges of the weapon caught the light around the blue flat sides of the blades, then the weapon shone and his body steamed and healed in seconds. As his wounds finished healing, the light faded and he sighed, floating to the ground off to the side.

"You can use that!?" Derieri demanded. "How the hell can a Nephilim freak like you use that!?"

"I can't," Oswald said. "I can only use its basic functions. And it amplifies my own powers enough for me to heal myself once at a time, but it won't allow me to use its true power. It doesn't recognize me as worthy. For good reason."

"Then it's not a threat," Dreyfus said.

"Don't be so hasty," Monspeet said, touching down beside Derieri. "he still has his Holy Magic, and it's still a Sacred Treasure, even if it _doesn't_ accept him."

Oswald crouched, twisting the left blade away from himself, then the right away, holding the left in reverse grip and the right in standard grip. The blades separated and he twirled them in his hands as both began to shine. Then, he turned so his left side was toward them, his left hand holding its blade horizontal toward them, the other held up about shoulder level in front of himself.

"We can still kill him," Dreyfus said, holding up his sword.

"Indeed," Drole said. "However, at least one of us will die. Maybe two."

"He got that much stronger just from swapping weapons?" Gloxinia asked.

"No," Drole said. "He got that much stronger by beginning to use his demonic power alongside his Goddess power."

"Well?" Oswald asked. "Are you all cowards?"

Derieri moved to charge, only for Monspeet to hold her back.

"He's trying to make us angry so that we make a mistake," Monspeet said. "Let them handle this."

Drole slammed his hands into the ground and Oswald leapt into the air just as a massive crystal with a wicked point exploded out of the ground. Oswald flipped, kicking off of the side of the crystal and shot through the air. Gloxinia's spear streaked up at him and he slashed, deflecting it, sending it speeding down into the ground in front of Dreyfus instead, hurling him backward. Then, Oswald spun, his right blade splitting Drole's fingers past the bone before his fist connected with Oswald's entire body, sending him flipping backward. As he stopped, Gloxinia sent a swarm of thorn vines at him, only for him to flip spinning like a saw blade and shredding them. Finally, they stopped and Oswald flipped, connecting the blades and forming an arrow, sending it at Gloxinia before spinning and slamming one of the blades into Derieri's left hand, sans his glowing Holy Magic. Then, he flipped over her, blades separate, and drove one into the darkness across the back of her shoulders like the back of a bra hard enough to send her crashing to the ground, unharmed but out of the way. A second later, Dreyfus's energy blast exploded against Oswald, barely missing catching Derieri in the explosion.

"I knew it," Dreyfus said. "So you _do_ have a weakness."

Oswald pushed himself up just in time for three of Gloxinia's thorns to stab him from behind. After a second, the vines retracted and Oswald coughed, staggering forward before catching himself, darkness spreading to seal the wounds.

"You're finished," Derieri said. "Your power's dropping like a rock. What was it you were saying about not dying yet?"

Oswald inhaled slowly, straightening, and focused his magic, his blades shining. Then, as he opened his eyes, he jumped, Droles's arms crashing to the ground. He slashed with both blades as he reached Drole, splitting the front of his torso wide open and Drole shouted in agony, falling backward. Oswald flipped, slamming his right sword upward into Gloxinia's spear, deflecting it, then shot forward, his left fist exploding into Gloxinia's face as his left blade stabbed into Monspeet's shoulder. Oswald crashed down on Monspeet's chest and ripped his blade out, spinning and deflecting Gloxinia's spear into the air only for Dreyfus to charge. At Derieri. Oswald was off like a shot, stepping between them in time for Dreyfus's sword to drive itself through Oswald's diaphragm. He leapt backward, ripping the sword out and Oswald dropped, landing on his knees as Derieri stared at him in shock, and the others all moved to kill him. Then, he blinked and he was in Liones castle again. He tipped to the side, collapsing, and a moment later Jericho was over him.

"Hang on!" Jericho said, tears streaming down her face. "We'll find a healer!"

"I'm...fine," Oswald said, blood frothing out of his mouth as he spoke. "I don't...die easy. Meliodas?"

"He's...gone," King said, staring at the ground.

"Ban tried to save him, but he couldn't even slow the one that did it down," Diane said. "The one you called Estarossa. He killed Meliodas like it was nothing, and then he obliterated Ban in the blink of an eye."

"He popped him like a zit," the teleporting made agreed, everyone glaring at her.

"Eli...za...beth?" Oswald asked.

"She went to Meliodas," Merlin said. "The Commandments left after I retrieved you. They went to Camelot. Zeldris took over Camelot alone several days ago."

Just then, Liones' court healer sprinted over, kneeling beside Oswald and beginning to heal him, Oswald struggling to stay awake as she worked.

"What do we do?" Jericho asked. "Without Meliodas..."

"We fight," Merlin said. "We do anything we can to hold the Demon Clan at bay."

"We...survive," Oswald said.

"Shut up!" the healer said. "No more talking!"

He fell silent, eyes finally managing to slip closed as consciousness fled.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Leftovers

Oswald watched from the top of the wall in silence, Jericho standing at his side. It had been days since Meliodas's death, and Melascula, who had somehow survived Escanor, had summoned an army of Red and Grey Demons. The Holy Knights of Liones had been trying to fight them, but it was a losing battle. A single Red Demon could kill a dozen Holy Knights before dying, without a Sin or their close friends present. And the Grey Demons were even worse. As a result, they were being rapidly pushed back. On the other hand, Jericho's training was coming along rapidly. She was quickly getting the hang of her ice power, with her brother's help, and her sword skills were quickly getting back to where they were after drinking Demon's Blood.

And then, of course, there were the other things that were coming along. For one, both Arthur and Merlin had begun trying to woo Merlin, who had been...receptive to their attempts. However, she was almost equally receptive to both of their attempts, much to the other's ire. She didn't seem to care about one over the other, despite clearly caring for both. She seemed to love them both equally. Diane and King had also finally gotten together, and had both gone to protect the Fairy Forest, everyone agreeing that Liones had enough protection with Merlin, Ban, and Oswald all staying there.

"Arthur's heading south to fight the demons tomorrow," Jericho finally said, breaking the silence. "That weird guy with the katana's going with him, I think."

"Yeah," Oswald nodded, glancing down and to the left where he could just see the tip of his bow's lower blade sticking out beside him. "Merlin's probably not too happy. Escanor's probably excited."

"Yeah," Jericho snorted. "Three whole days of having Merlin to himself."

Oswald nodded, eyes drifting up to the horizon, senses extending until he could feel Derieri. The moment he did, he felt her own senses lock onto his, thought she made no move to go after him.

"We could go after her, if you want," Jericho said, resting her hand on his. "We could try to capture her."

"No," Oswald said. "The others would just interfere. If that was what I wanted, I could just have Merlin bring her here herself."

Jericho nodded. "What is she to you?"

"She's...it's...complicated," Oswald said.

Jericho watched his features sink for a second before reaching up and cupping his cheek, turning his head so he was looking at her. She reached up, pausing for a second to see if he'd pull away before closing the distance, pressing her lips to his. Oswald sighed, turning toward her and leaning into the kiss slightly. Jericho let out something close to a whimper and wrapped her arms around his neck. It wasn't their first kiss, but it _was_ the first one that wasn't in the middle of sex. It was also the first time Oswald had reciprocated immediately.

After a few seconds, she pulled away, smiling. "For a second there, I almost thought maybe I was making progress."

"Maybe," Oswald mumbled, Jericho staring at him. "Come on. It's time for your training."

She nodded, smiling and following after him to the training room where Veronica and Guila were training. Apparently, Guila had been training Veronica ever since they had sent her back to Liones, but had failed to find Oswald's new weapon because she had been sent to reinforce Bartra's brother, Sir Denzel, in the outer regions after Fraudrin had destroyed their base.

"Hello you two," Guila smiled. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not to bad," Oswald said, drawing his weapon and separating it. "Almost didn't have any nightmares about fighting the Ten Commandments last night."

Guila nodded, returning to her sparring session with Veronica while Oswald turned to Jericho, the two beginning to clash rapidly. Jericho did well, managing to hold her own for several minutes at a time before losing. Not that Oswald was doing anything even remotely resembling using his full power, but it was still improvement. After about two hours of sparring, they called it a day, Jericho leaving to get cleaned up while Oswald, not having worked up a sweat, headed out of the castle, walking through the town in silence. It felt wrong. Without Meliodas, the world seemed...darker. Emptier. And everyone seemed to feel it, because everyone was walking around like they were lost.

Oswald slowed to a stop as he reached an intersection, seeing Ban walking along a road off to the side, Elaine floating along beside him. Oswald was torn by the fact that Elaine was still alive. One the one hand, it meant Ban wasn't alone. On the other, it meant Melascula was still alive, despite Ban's insistence that he had crushed all of her hearts. Oswald sighed. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe she was too weak to move, or even recover properly, and would never be a problem again. He seriously doubted that was the case, but if it was, he was perfectly fine with letting Melascula live in that condition.

"Oswald," Merlin's voice said from behind him, Oswald turning and raising an eyebrow upon seeing she was alone, which hadn't happened since Vaizel. "Would you mind coming to my workshop for a bit? I have a million questions to ask, and I could use your help with a couple experiments."

"I suppose," Oswald shrugged. "But you're not cutting me."

Merlin chuckled and nodded, teleporting them both back to her workshop, one of the many experiment rooms. In it, Escanor was seated on a table in his massively over-muscled form.

"Hey Escanor," Oswald greeted him.

"Hello," Escanor replied.

"So, first question, can you shed some light on Escanor's...abilities?" Merlin asked. "You've been around longer than I have, so I figured maybe you knew something I didn't?"

"Not by much longer I'd guess," Oswald said. "You're definitely too smart for the age you look. As for Escanor, as I'm sure you've already riddled out, his power, Sunshine, isn't just a magic power. It's one of the Graces."

"Graces?" Escanor asked.

"The four Graces were powers given to the four Archangels that once rivalled the Ten Commandments for power," Merlin said.

"Sunshine was the power given to the strongest of the four, Mael," Oswald said. "Sunshine outclassed the other three Graces combined, and with it, Mael was unbeatable. Or, so everyone thought. He was eventually killed by Estarossa, the same Commandment that killed Meliodas. With his defeat, the Goddess Race lost hope of defeating the Demon Clan, and sealed them all away in the Coffin of Eternal Darkness. At the same time, Mael's death was thought to have erased Sunshine from existence. So how _you_ came to have it, I can't fathom. Not only should any Grace burn a human being to ash if they acquired it, but Sunshine in particular should be impossible for a human to wield. If nothing else it should have turned you into a supernova the first time it activated, if not just burning you to ash. Maybe you're not all human."

"I had considered that, but aside from Sunshine, there's no indication that he's anything other than human," Merlin said.

"Maybe he's Mael's reincarnation?" Oswald offered. "Sunshine could have followed him to his next life, if he had one. Or maybe he's the embodiment of Sunshine. Maybe Sunshine's power created him so that it'd have a host?"

Merlin hummed thoughtfully. "All interesting ideas. No way to prove any of them, of course. And even if one of them _were_ true, Escanor is still Escanor first and foremost."

"True," Oswald nodded. "So Escanor, just how high does your power get at noon?"

"The highest Merlin has recorded is in the neighborhood of sixty thousand," Escanor said.

"I figured," Oswald said.

"Why?" Escanor asked.

"Sunshine multiplies its hosts power," Oswald said. "In a Goddess, it would take them to the hundreds of thousands if they naturally had a decent power. But with you, if it went much higher than sixty thousand, it'd kill you, even if you _are_ able to survive having it. However, I'm sure there's a time limit for that as well. Sunshine will burn you out eventually."

Escanor remained silent.

"So, did you need anything else?" Oswald asked.

"I want to know your story," Merlin said.

"Solid no," Oswald said.

"Then no," Merlin said. "That's all."

Oswald nodded and turned, walking through her workshop to the exit, then left, heading to the nearest blacksmith. It had been a while since he'd forged anything, but he enjoyed doing it, so he got a job working for the blacksmith for a bit, earning a handsome reward for it as well, since he more than tripled the blacksmith's usual work. Then, once the blacksmith had paid him, he set to work on his own projects. First, he pulled out the pieces of Meliodas's sword that was gifted to him by Elizabeth, reforging that while also adding his own Holy Magic, strengthening the magic and making it extremely effective against demons. It wasn't Lostvayne, but he _had_ made it a lot more useful for whoever ended up with it. Then, he used some leftover metal the blacksmith had, which he first purified multiple times over, and reforged his broken sword. He had liked that sword and he was mad it broke. Granted, he was stronger and better with the bow, but he had taken a liking to the sword.

Finally he finished his work as the sun was setting and sheathed his sword before picking up Meliodas's and walking away, heading back to the castle. Jericho met him at the door.

"Where were you?" she asked, hands on her hips. "I was worried when you didn't come back."

"I had to find a blacksmith shop, then traded my services in order to be allowed to use it," Oswald said. "I wanted my sword back. And I wanted to reforged this while we had the time." He held up Meliodas's sword.

"What's that?" Jericho asked. "It's so short."

"Yeah, it's really only useful for child-sized people," Oswald said. "But it's now strong against demons, so it should serve _someone_ well. Maybe Elaine."

Jericho nodded, following him as he walked inside and toward the stairs. They walked in silence, reaching the room they were sharing, at Jericho's request, after a few minutes and Oswald dropped onto his front on the bed.

"Boots off the bed," Jericho said, not even looking over at him as she started to get ready for bed. "And go clean up. You smell like a forge."

Oswald sighed loudly before complying. A few minutes later, he returned and climbed into bed, Jericho scooting over and laying her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him, one of his wrapping around her as well. After a few minutes, he felt Jericho drift off and sighed, looking down at her. He gently brushed a couple strands of hair out of her face, smiling to himself. She was beautiful. And he had to admit that she was important to him, despite his best efforts. All of the others had accepted him, despite being a Nephilim, but none as openly or readily as Jericho. He felt bad for ever having doubted whether she would or not. He still hated himself for being one, but he was glad she didn't. And because she didn't, he had to admit she had managed to worm her way into his heart a bit. However, as he lay there, watching her sleep, a different face flickered into his mind before being forced out again. No. he wouldn't allow those thoughts to surface. He forbade them from showing themselves, and he refused to allow them. Finally, he managed to drift off to sleep, only for the face to dominate his dreams.

* * *

Oswald drew his sword, leaving his bow where it was. After all, he was supposed to be training, no point in using the weapon that made it easiest yet, right? The Grey Demons lumbered toward them and he and Arthur crouched, readying themselves, Jericho standing behind them, holding her own sword at the ready.

"Watch for an opening Jericho," Oswald said.

"Right," Jericho nodded.

Arthur shot forward first, sidestepping the first slash before jumping and splitting the demon across the torso, making it fall backward, crashing to the ground, wounded but alive. The second Grey Demon opened its mouth, firing a blast of flames like a beam, only for them to explode against Oswald's Heaven's Shield. Then, as the flames faded, Oswald smirked.

"Now!" Jericho shouted, sprinting past him and into the smoke as Oswald shot into the sky, the Grey Demon firing another blast at him, missing this time. Then, Jericho leapt out of the smoke at the demon. "Godspeed Ten Slashes!"

Her sword tore into the demon rapidly, making it stagger backward at the end, wounded but still standing, at last until Oswald dropped past it, splitting it down the front with his sword and killing it. He turned as the other demon pushed itself up and reached for Jericho, only for her to turn and swipe an arm toward it, massive chunks of ice forming and stabbing into it, making it collapse again, Arthur landing on its chest and stabbing down into its head.

"We won!" Jericho cheered.

"Well done," Oswald smiled. "You've come a long way."

"Only thanks to you," Jericho smiled.

"You have too, Your Majesty," Oswald said.

"You're an excellent teacher," Arthur said.

Oswald snorted. "Hardly. I've been training you for all of two days before this trip. It's all because of your own raw talent."

"Jericho improved that much from a couple days training with you," Arthur said.

"Not nearly," Oswald snorted. "She got faster, sure, but her power only went up when she learned to use her magic properly. And also, Jericho's got some natural skill of her own."

Jericho blushed slightly but blushed, however, it faded as she looked up, seeing Blue Demons flying toward them.

"Reinforcements," Jericho said.

Oswald sheathed his sword and drew his bow, drawing it back and firing rapidly, dropping demons quickly. However, the last dozen or so opened fire, Oswald forming a Heaven's Shield to block the fireballs.

"Alright Merlin," Oswald said. "I think we're about done here. Bring us home."

After a moment of nothing happening, all three blinked and found themselves in Liones Castle, Guila, Gowther, Ban, Elaine, Veronica, Escanor, and Merlin all present. Merlin walked over and hugged Arthur, smiling.

"Welcome back," Merlin smiled. "You did well."

"Thank you," Arthur smiled. "Thanks for pulling us out."

"You could have handled them," Merlin said. "Or, at the very least, Oswald could have."

"Yes but they would have been in danger," Oswald said. "For now, the Blue Demons are fine to do whatever they're ordered to do, which is basically nothing."

Merlin nodded. "It's hard to believe it's been almost three weeks already. The war is progressing better than we expected."

"Barely," Oswald said. "We're barely holding any ground, and we have yet to even begin to try to retake Camelot. Yet we still lose Holy Knights every day. By the time we _do_ try, we won't have the manpower anymore."

"It'll be alright," Jericho said. "We'll have you and Merlin. If nothing else, Merlin can just put us all in Perfect Cubes and we'll ram the Ten Commandments."

Oswald actually laughed at that. "That would be something to see. Come on Arthur, Jericho. It's time for training."

Both nodded and followed him out of the room.

* * *

Oswald narrowed his eyes as he stared at the smoke curling into the air just beyond the wall. A little over a month. They'd held out for as long as they could, but eventually they'd been pushed back to the wall. All that remained was Liones. Behind Oswald, Jericho was hurriedly strapping on her armor. Oswald turned, walking over to her and catching her hand as she was reaching for her sword.

"Stay with His Majesty and the queen," Oswald said.

"What!?" Jericho scoffed. "Not a chance! I'm going to help fight! It's what I've been training for!"

"You're not strong enough," Oswald said. "There are six of them here. You can't fight them. Please, stay with the king. For me."

"I'm going to be helping you fight for you," Jericho said.

Oswald leaned in, capturing her lips for several seconds before pulling back. "I need you to promise me you won't leave the king's side, and that you won't go near a Commandment."

"I...I promise," Jericho said. "But you have to promise to come back alive."

"I promise to try," Oswald said.

Jericho nodded. "Okay. Go."

Oswald nodded, pulling his cuirass on, then his trench coat over it, grabbing his sword and bow and turning, jumping off the balcony and flying toward the Gate.

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Rematch

Oswald landed in front of the gate, staring out at the Red and Grey Demons assaulting the gate. Dozens of them. However, not too many. He focused, inhaling slowly, then flapped his wings, the feathers all exploded off them, shining white and scattering, tearing through the demons around and before him, slaughtering the vast majority of them. Out of the two or three dozen that were there, maybe five survived, however, Ban, Gilthunder, and Howzer slaughtered the rest of them in moments. Oswald drove one of his bow's blades into the ground and left it there, drawing his sword as he locked his gaze with Derieri's, watching the hate blossom in her eyes. He did a quick survey of their group. Derieri, Monspeet, and Greyroad were in front of him, Fraudrin and Zeldris were off tot he right a ways away, Fraudrin fighting against Arthur and Zeldris struggling to avoid Merlin's spells. Then, in the distance behind Derieri's group, stood Estarossa, far enough away to keep Derieri's hatred of Oswald from activating his Commandment and leaving her helpless.

Behind Oswald, standing atop the wall, were Ban, Gilthunder, Vivian, Howzer, Slader, and the Roars of Dawn Holy Knight with the katana. It wasn't the dream crew. More than half the Sins were missing. However, it was what they had, and he would deal with it.

"Ban," Oswald said. "You need to be the one to kill Greyroad. The commandment of Pacifism steals people's time."

"Which makes me immune," Ban nodded. "Got it."

"The rest of you, don't go anywhere near Estarossa," Oswald said. "I'll handle him. Help Arthur if you can, but stay away from Zeldris. Monspeet needs to be all of your first priority, though. I need you to keep him away from me while I deal with Derieri."

"Are you going to kill her this time?" Gilthunder asked.

"I don't...I don't know," Oswald said. "But I can't do anything with Monspeet in the way."

"Then we'll handle him," Gilthunder said. "Ban, take Greyroad."

Ban nodded and took off, exploding into Greyroad, launching him away instantly. As he did, Oswald hurled Gilthunder at Monspeet, his sword crashing into the darkness on Monspeet's hand, though it _did_ force Monspeet back, Gilthunder following. Oswald walked forward calmly, sword in his hand as darkness spread over his body from his shoulder.

"What can you do with your wings like that?" Derieri asked.

Oswald swung his right arm back, slicing off both of his wings. Derieri stared at him in surprise for several long seconds before exploding forward. However before he could reach her, he streaked past her, leaping and falling toward Estarossa, his sword shining as he slashed. Estarossa leapt backward, beginning to form a sword, only for Oswald to swipe a hand, a barrage of white magic blasts appearing around Estarossa and flashing down at him. Estarossa avoided them, and landed in front of Oswald, slashing downward at him, only for Oswald to dodge around it, slashing at him. Estarossa's sword flashed between them instantly.

"Full Counter," Estarossa said, a gash ripping itself open across Oswald's chest, even through his armor.

Oswald staggered backward, then stopped, staring at his chest before nodding slowly. "Your Full Counter is against physical strikes while Meliodas's is against magical ones. Good to know."

He leapt backward, slashing and sending an arc of light flashing across the distance at Estarossa, who flipped over it, only for a vertical arc to flash toward him. he spun int he air, forming darkness into a set of wings behind himself, only for his arm to spin away as the arc passed. He flipped, landing on his feet and darkness shot out, driving itself into the arm and pulling it back, stitching it into place, though it failed to heal.

"My turn," Estarossa said.

He shot forward, grabbing his fallen blade before reaching Oswald, slashing at him. Oswald spun around it, focusing magic into a sphere over his free hand before driving it into Estarossa's gut. It exploded and sent Estarossa flying. However, Estarossa flipped, the darkness that had defended him fading before he smirked. Then, Oswald hurled himself to the side, barely avoiding Derieri's fist, which cratered the ground. As Oswald landed on his feet, Estarossa's arm finally healed itself just in time for Escanor to land in front of him. Then, Oswald was avoiding Derieri's strikes, slashing back when he could, his sword blade flickering each time he slashed, sparking off of her darkness rather than failing to cut through. Finally, Derieri flipped, kicking him in the chest and sent him flying backward, his already damaged armor cracking. Oswald landed on his feet, skidding backward before sprinting forward again, ducking under Derieri's left fist and slashing at her abdomen as he passed. however, his sword dipped, sparking across the strip of darkness seeming to form the strap of a set of panties on her left hip. Then, her right elbow exploded into his back before she turned, her darkness-coated right foot flashing around and exploding into his cuirass, shattering it and hurling him away.

He flipped, bouncing once before blood sprayed out of his back as he formed a new set of wings. He looked around, seeing his sword stabbed into the ground by the gate just as one of the Holy Knights there hurled his bow at him. He caught it and turned back to the front just in time for Derieri's fist to explode into his gut, launching him skyward. She formed a pair of wings, chasing him, and he stopped himself, separating his blades then flew back down, slashing at her only for her to flip out of the way, then punch him in the back, sending him exploding into the ground. As he stood, Estarossa went flying away, Escanor chasing after him. Then, Sir Denzel stepped up beside Oscar, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take it from here," Denzel said. "Please look after the King."

"I'm not letting you fight alone," Oswald said. "Besides, she's mine. You're welcome to the rest of them."

Denzel ignored him, turning to Derieri first, only for Monspeet to land beside her. Oswald glanced off to the side where Gilthunder's group were all struggling to their feet. Off to the other side, Merlin and Arthur were still going at it with Zeldris and Fraudrin, although Zeldris was the one on the offensive between himself and Merlin now, Merlin using her spells to stay ahead of him. Oswald turned back to Denzel as he drew his sword.

"Rugitsu yori rode, Nerobasta," Denzel chanted, Oswald grabbing his arm.

"You're out of your goddamn mind," Oswald said. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

Denzel shoved Oswald away, continuing his incantation before slashing the back of his own hand and flinging blood into a circle around himself. "Manifest thyself!"

His blood shown, the light forming into the air over them, forming a massive silhouette of a Goddess with two wings, a pure white dress that hung low on her enormous breasts, and her eyes instantly locked on Oswald, who allowed the darkness to fade from his body, swallowing hard. Then, the silhouette shot downward, flooding into Denzel and leaving him with a Goddess's eyes, like Oswald's own currently were. Nerobasta turned on Oswald, pointing the katana she held at him.

"Nephilim," Nerobasta spat. "You have tainted the world long enough. You die today."

"Dammit Denzel," Oswald snarled. "Not only did you sacrifice yourself for nothing, but now I've got to go and kill the thing you tried to get to help us!"

"Nerobasta!" Derieri shouted, Nerobasta turning toward her, eyes widening.

"The ten Commandments!?" Nerobasta panicked. "But they should be sealed away in the Coffin of Everlasting Darkness! Was the seal released!?"

"That's right!" Deathpierce said from off to the side. "So please, help us fight them!"

"I refuse!" Nerobasta said, a pair of wings forming on her back from light. "You survive today Nephilim. But I will see you again."

Then, she exploded off of the ground, soaring higher by the second. However, a Red and Grey demon moved to stop her, only for her to hold out her free hand.

"Arc!" Nerobasta shouted, a sphere of white light forming around the two demons, glowing white crosses extending from the sphere in a ring.

After a second, the sphere shone then faded, the demons beginning to crumble into dust as Nerobasta shot past. Derieri leapt off of the ground, reaching Nerobasta in an instant, only for her to spin, a second sphere appearing around her. Before it could kill her, however, she screamed, her darkness exploding outward and smashing the sphere, leaving the only part of her to disintegrate as her hair from just above her shoulders. Nerobasta shot forward, slashing at Derieri's neck, but darkness reached up, wrapping around her neck and Nerobasta's sword smashed against it, the end of it falling away as Nerobasta floated backward slowly.

"Now now," Nerobasta said nervously, paling. "Let us refrain from doing anything which we might regret later. Diplomacy and reason may be our best recourse, wouldn't you agree? Now, I fully understand why someone such as yourself would have anger to direct toward we Goddesses. Yes, we violated the pact we made with you by going back on our word. And yes, we may have overstepped our bounds when we decided to massacre all the children we held captive. But those hasty decisions were made by our leaders. We were simply acting under-"

Derieri's left hand swiped her from the right, obliterating her upper body, leaving only her legs and right hand to fall to the earth. Derieri dropped, landing beside Monspeet again and Oswald sighed, looking back at the others. Ban was with them now, though Greyroad was still alive. However, none of them looked like they could keep fighting. Oswald sighed.

"Go," Oswald said. "Get the King and princesses out of here. Evacuate the castle."

"What about you?" Ban asked.

"I'm not done fighting yet," Oswald said. "Merlin!"

Merlin and Arthur appeared beside the others instantly.

"Help the others evacuate," Oswald said. "I'll signal when I'm ready to join you, or you could just pull me out at some point before I die. And take my sword with you."

Ban grabbed it and they all ran toward the castle. Oswald turned back to Derieri as she cracked her neck. Oswald sighed heavily as Greyroad and Fraudrin chased them.

"Did I say you could leave!?" Oswald shouted, spinning and leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding Derieri's left arm, though losing both wings in place of his legs, and fired a pair of arrows.

Greyroad avoided hers, but Fraudrin was too slow and it tore a gash in Dreyfus's arm. Both stopped however as Oswald sprouted a new pair of wings and shot forward, getting between them and the castle, panting but holding his two blades at the ready.

"I'm not letting you...kill anyone else today," Oswald said, regretting having had to regrow so many wings. "You all die he-"

He spun, crossing the blades in time for Derieri's left hand to crash into them, sending him crashing into the city, his new wings being crushed beyond repair and also breaking his arms and back. the building above him groaned before falling, only for him to suddenly find himself on a wooden floor, Hawk staring down at him in blankly for a moment before screaming. After a second, Elizabeth dropped to her knees beside him, beginning to heal him, and another person appeared behind her. He looked familiar. he wore silver armor with gold and blue highlights, and had long silver hair. Oswald groaned as he felt his wings' bones reset themselves before his wounds began to heal. Finally, it finished and he sat up, smiling up at Elizabeth.

"Thanks," he smiled. "Where are we?"

"We're on our way to Liones," Elizabeth said. "We heard it was under attack."

"It is," Oswald nodded. "Derieri, Monspeet, Greyroad, and Fraudrin are there. Zeldris and Estarossa were too, but Escanor beat Estarossa and Zeldris disappeared. He may have gone to help Estarossa."

"We'll be there soon," Elizabeth said.

Oswald nodded, standing and picking up his blades, connecting them into a bow and walking outside, seeing Red and Grey demons heading for him. He pulled his bow back and fired, dropping a Red Demon. Another appeared off to the side but the man with them leapt onto it, stabbing it in the head.

"Purge!" he shouted, the demon's life force vanishing instantly as the body fell, the man landing on Hawk's Mom again.

"Who are you?" Oswald asked.

"My name is Zaratros," the man said.

"Oh, of course the former Grand Master Holy Knight is here," Oswald said.

"You know me?" Zaratros asked just as all of the demons in front of them, another half-dozen or so, began to charge a barrage of Purgatory Fire, only for Hawk's Mom to plow through them, obliterating them.

"Hell yeah!" Oswald grinned.

"There you are!" Derieri's voice shouted from above.

Oswald spun as she landed in front of him, left arm cocked back, only to freeze, head turning slowly to stare incredulously at Elizabeth.

"You!" Derieri snarled. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

She stormed over to stand directly in front of Elizabeth, mere inches from her, glaring at her.

"Derieri," Oswald said. "Are you going to let me speak this time?"

"No," Derieri said, turning to him. "You don't get to speak. You're just going to die."

Just then, Zaratros leapt at Derieri, raising his shield, only for Derieri's left hand to smash through it. As she moved to finish him, however, an Arc appeared around her hand, light particles flowing from Elizabeth's hands, her hair blowing from the force of her spell and revealing her Goddess right eye.

"I fucking knew it was you!" Derieri snarled.

"How can you just take people's lives so callously?" Elizabeth demanded.

Then, the spell flashed and the skin on her hand was obliterated, leaving her bones, covered in blood due to the spell not being strong enough to vaporize her skin properly.

"No mistake about it," Derieri snarled. "I found you both."

She shot forward, the flesh of her right hand already regenerated. Oswald moved to stop her from attacking Elizabeth, but Monspeet caught his arms and drilled his knee into his gut. Then, Derieri reached Elizabeth, swiping her left hand's caws at her, only for Meliodas to appear below her, fist drilling into her ribcage and shattering it, broken pieces bursting out of the opposite side as Derieri screamed, sailing away from them all.

"Derieri!" Monspeet shouted, flying after her instantly and catching her.

"It's about time," Oswald said. "I was afraid your curse might have lifted."

"Sorry to keep you waiting Elizabeth," Meliodas smiled.

"It's alright," Elizabeth said, tears flooding down her face. "I never doubted you'd come back to me Meliodas."

She held him tight and he smiled. Oswald reached over his shoulder and pulled Meliodas's sword out, tossing it to him, Meliodas catching it, both eyebrows shooting into his hairline instantly as the blade shone.

"You upgraded it," Meliodas said.

"Couldn't let a gift stay broken," Oswald said. "Now, I'll handle Derieri from here.

"No," Meliodas said, Oswald turning to stare at him, eyes widening slightly at the almost sadistic darkness in Meliodas's eyes. "She's down for the count."

"Sir Meliodas, are you sure you're alright?" Elizabeth asked.

"Never better," Meliodas said.

Oswald turned away from them, taking off into the air and flying up high, looking down into the trees, scanning them for Derieri. After several seconds, he heard Elizabeth begin to shout about misspeaking, and about being happy to feel the warmth of Meliodas's skin, then again about misspeaking, and he sighed. Meliodas really needed to lay off. Eventually she wouldn't be embarrassed anymore, and then he'd be out of a hobby. Oswald floated back down onto Hawk's Mom just as Hawk ran over, holding Lostvayne between his ears.

"Oh, my Sacred Treasure," Meliodas said. "Thanks Hawk. And speaking of Sacred Treasures, where'd you get that?"

Oswald glanced at the bow. "It was in Liones Castle. Though, it won't accept me. I'm just using it at its base level."

Meliodas nodded. "Goddess weapons are picky. Here Elizabeth. I want you to have this." He held out the sword she had given him."

"What?" Elizabeth asked. "But, that was a gift to you from Liz."

"Yes, but not only do I have a bladed weapon now, but I think Liz would agree that, under the current circumstances, you should have it. Besides, if a demon manages to get to you, I want you to have a way to protect yourself."

Elizabeth stared at him before smiling and nodding, accepting the blade. Oswald handed her its sheath and belt and she attached it to her hip, looking to them for approval. Meliodas gave her a thumbs up and Oswald nodded. However, just as he did, a Grey Demon appeared beside them, only for Derieri to split it in half, her power far higher than it had been a moment before. Then, she turned, drilling a punch into Hawk's Mom's side, sending her crashing through the trees, rolling and crushing the bar. Oswald dropped tot he ground, releasing the others and charging Derieri. She shot forward, left fist flashing out to meet him, only for darkness to flood out from under his shirt, covering him in sweeping, flame-like markings. When Derieri's fist met Oswald's hand, it halted, blood and bone powder spraying out of the back of Oswald's shoulder, only to be instantly replaced. Derieri's right foot flashed up at him but he ducked, avoiding it, then sidestepped her downward punch, avoiding that as well and resetting her combo. Then, he shot forward, his shoulder slamming into her, hurling her backward. She crashed into a tree before he slashed one of his blades, an arc of light streaking outward at her. She leapt high into the air, avoiding the spell which shattered against the tree harmlessly, not having enough power to actually hurt anything in it.

"Combo reset," Oswald said.

"What...are you?" Zaratros asked.

"Nephilim," Oswald said, flexing his black-feathered wings. "Offspring of a demon and a Goddess Race offshoot." Oswald turned his head, watching as Zaratros gripped his sword, teeth clenched and eyes shining disgust and hate, but he hesitated, knowing he couldn't possibly win. Oswald snorted derisively, turning back tot he front. "It's alright that you hate me. I'm used to it."

He looked up just as Derieri dropped again. As she landed, Hawk charged her, only to be sent flying with a kick. Then, Meliodas was attacking Derieri rapidly. Or, more accurately, he slammed her into the ground once then began to allow her to form a combo before avoiding a strike and resetting it. Oswald moved to try to stop him, to remind him of his claim to fighting her, only for Zaratros to appear in front of him, slashing, Oswald beginning to block his strikes rapidly. Finally, Meliodas moved to slash her, only for her to catch his arm as he caught her left one. Oswald's senses screamed all of a sudden and he looked up, seeing Monspeet fire a massive flaming dragon, aimed directly for Meliodas and Derieri. However, before it could reach them, Meliodas slammed a kick into Derieri, sending her flying at Monspeet, before pulling Lostvayne back.

"Full Counter!" Meliodas smirked, a demon crest different from his last on his forehead, centered. "Rest in pieces."

Oswald shoved Zaratros backward and shot skyward, getting in front of Monspeet and Derieri and holding out both of his hands, his blades together in his right. "Heaven's Shield!"

His shield formed and shone nearly blindingly instantly. The massive blast of fire met it and the two spells began to fight against each other. Then, the first barrier broke. Then the second. The third. The fourth. Oswald shoved harder, forcing more magic into the barrier. The fifth. More. The sixth. Just as the flames reached the flower, Oswald's bow shone blindingly, beginning to change. One side became a long white-feathered wing with the feathers reaching back and out toward the tip of the blade. The handle on that blade became silver with small blue spheres encrusted in it. The other side of the weapon, however, became bat-like wing, with blue along the edge, and in spines that curved from the edge to the back, reaching toward the tip, then red webbing between them. There was a small claw-like point where the edge ended then the blade curved back up and around before heading down to the grip. Where the grip met the blade, there was a blue crystal sphere with a vertical black line in the center, like a blue eye with a slit pupil, which was visible from both sides. Then there was a smooth black grip before it met the other blade's handle.

The flower cracked, suddenly, the cracks spreading outward. However, less than a second before the flower shattered, the flames faded. Oswald sighed, the flower crumbling and falling away, fading as it went, and Oswald turned his eyes to meliodas, who was glaring at him.

"I'm...sorry," Oswald panted. "I couldn't...let...you..."

Then, he fell, darkness swallowing him.

* * *

Leave a review. For the new form of his weapon, picture the Winged Sword from Prisoners of the Sky, minus the two back wings, on one side, then Soul Eater from Kingdom Hearts on the other. Oh, and for those who didn't guess, the first form of the bow is the Pulatena Bow that Pit uses in Super Smash Bros.


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

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Settled

Oswald inhaled slowly, smelling mud, trees, and grass, and allowed himself to drift into consciousness. He was aware that he was lying on the ground, which didn't surprise him as much as the fact that he was alive. He was sure Meliodas would have killed him by now. Maybe Derieri had returned the favor and protected him from Meliodas as he had protected her. Which would, of course, mean she was dead, just as surely as if she hadn't protected him. Meliodas wasn't about to let two Commandments live. Oswald inhaled again, and a new scent caught his attention. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it from somewhere. It stirred up old memories, though they were too cloudy for him to make out much detail. Blurry faces. Foggy places.

Finally, Oswald allowed his eyes to drift open and stared up at the canopy of leaves above him, swaying slowly in the wind. He blinked slowly a couple of times before sitting up and looking around. Monspeet was sitting in front of him, against a tree, watching him in silence. Derieri, on the other hand, was lying beside him, bruised and broken, but breathing, sleeping relatively peacefully.

"You two saved me," Oswald said quietly, Monspeet nodding.

"Derieri's choice," Monspeet said. "She wanted to know why you saved us before she killed you, and she didn't want Meliodas to kill you instead of her."

"And he just let us go?" Oswald asked.

"Elizabeth begged him," Monspeet said. "I'm assuming you knew who she is."

"Yes," Oswald nodded. "I knew."

Monspeet nodded as Derieri winced and began to stir, looking up at Oswald for a moment before sitting up and punching him, launching him away, into a tree. Oswald pushed himself up, sighing and wiping a trickle of blood from his cheek.

"Good morning to you too," Oswald said.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Derieri shrieked. "We're your enemies! Why would you save us!?" She grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up against the tree. "Why would you shield me!?"

"You...suffered...enough," Oswald choked out.

Derieri blinked, staring at him before dropping him, Oswald coughing and massaging his throat. "What?"

"You've suffered enough," Oswald said. "I couldn't bear to see you hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not if I could stop it."

"That's rich coming from you," Derieri spat, glaring down at him.

"I'm sorry," Oswald said, staring at the ground. "I...I never wanted her to die."

He closed his eyes, bracing himself, and sure enough, Derieri's foot collided with his chest, sending him crashing into the tree instantly before she caught him by the throat, not choking him this time, just holding him up.

"What did I tell you about talking about her?" Derieri snarled.

"I tried to protect her," Oswald said.

"Bullshit!" Derieri screamed, turning and hurling him into another tree. "You let her die!"

"I couldn't save her!" Oswald said. "I tried. I swear to you that I tried."

Derieri stared at him for a long moment before sitting down. "Say what you have to. I'll decide whether or not I'm killing you after."

Oswald nodded, shifting to a seated position against the tree. "When we were young, you beat me constantly. Every day, you would hunt me down, just to practice your Combo Star. You used me as your punching bag, because I was the freak. I was the mistake. I was the thing that was never supposed to exist. No one cared if I was hurt, or if I died. But you were careful. You always made sure I survived. But then one day, you just stopped coming. It's...It's funny. The only times I saw you, you were beating me to within an inch of my life, literally a couple of times. But once you stopped coming, I missed you. Beatings or not, you were the only one who would acknowledge my existence. You were the only lifeline I had. Something to let me know that I was real. That I was alive. Without you, I was lost. Then one day, I met your sister. She looked so much like you. Of course, she tried to kill me too. Almost succeeded. But then you showed up, and you stopped her. I don't know why you stopped her, but you saved my life. I wanted to thank you for that. I wanted to show you how much it meant to me. How much _you_ meant to me. But I didn't know how. Then, one day, I heard about the disappearances. They were from near where your sister was. I went to see if she was okay, and I found her, but when we tried to get back to someplace safe, Ludociel found us, and brought us to the others. To his Arc. I promised your sister that I'd save her, but I was too weak. I couldn't break the Arc. I couldn't get us out. And then you all arrived. I knew I couldn't get out, so I tried to use Heaven's Shield, and my darkness, to shield your sister. But it wasn't enough. I had promised your sister I would save her, but all I could do was watch her burn. But the Arc didn't effect me because of my heritage. So when the Arc faded, you saw me there. The only survivor. I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and fix my failure. I wish I could save her for you. Bring her back to you. But I can't. When you were all sealed in the Coffin of Eternal Darkness, I tried to save you from it. I tried to find you so that I could keep you from being sealed, but I was too late. I couldn't save you any more than I could save your sister. And I've lived with that my entire life. I've lived with my failure, my sin, for thousands of years."

Derieri stared at him in silence for a long while before shifting her eyes to the ground. "Why should I believe any of that?"

"I can't answer that," Oswald said. "It's all true. But beyond my words, there's no proof." He stared at Derieri for a few seconds before speaking again. "Your arm and leg..."

Derieri looked down, the darkness at her left hand's fingertips and her right foot's toes beginning to retract. Her foot began to show almost immediately. However, her hand didn't. Oswald watched in horror as the darkness shrank back further and further, reaching up above where there should be an elbow before finally fading entirely, revealing the stump of her left arm. Oswald swallowed hard, eyes watering.

"I'm sorry," Oswald said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's...it's not your fault," Derieri said. "And besides, my new left arm is formed from darkness, which means it doesn't feel any pain when I'm fighting, and it deals more damage."

Oswald didn't respond.

"I'm used to it," Derieri said. "After having a fake arm for long enough, it's become my real one."

"You should never have to have a fake one," Oswald said. "I...I never wanted to see you hurt. You always...I always thought of you as the symbol of power. I never wanted you to be hurt."

Derieri watched him in silence for a long moment before sighing heavily and pushing herself up, reforming her darkness around her leg and reforming her arm. "Dammit. I was so looking forward to killing you. I guess there's not much choice now. If we're not killing you, we'll have to join you."

Oswald and Monspeet both stared at her like she'd just grown three extra heads, and all of them had spoken in a different type of gibberish.

"Join me?" Oswald asked.

"Well yeah," Derieri said. "If we go back to the Ten Commandments, you'll be killed, and we'll end up having to fight Meliodas, or worse, that monster Escanor. But if you go back after protecting us against Meliodas, you'll be killed as a traitor."

"I...suppose," Oswald nodded, staring at his hands. "So, what then? We just hide?"

"Sounds good to me," Derieri shrugged. "Oh, by the way, this is yours."

She held up Oswald's bow, back in its normal gold and blue form, and he accepted it, the bow not changing in the slightest. Maybe he had imagined the change. After all, a Goddess weapon wouldn't have a demon wing for a blade. He nodded, standing and drive the end of the blade into the ground.

"If I get seen with it, our cover's blown," Oswald said. "Better to leave it here."

Derieri nodded. "I suppose. Come on. Let's find somewhere to lay low."

Oswald nodded and they turned, Derieri glancing to Monspeet.

"You coming Monspeet?" Derieri asked.

"I suppose so," Monspeet nodded.

They all turned, starting off through the trees together, Oswald sparing one last look back toward Liones before following them.

* * *

Leave a review.


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Laying Low

Oswald tossed the hay bales into the loft and sighed, glancing to the side at Derieri, who was lounging on a hay pile, wearing a skirt, blouse, and black boots now. They had stolen the clothes for her so that she could hide that she was a demon, though it hadn't helped them much with getting a place to stay. Finally, they found an older couple living on a farm and agreed to work it in exchange for a place to stay.

Monspeet threw his own hay bail up into the loft and turned to Oswald. "I'm impressed you can still speak after that story yesterday." He picked Oswald up by the throat, Oswald using darkness to keep him from squeezing. "I'll say this one time. Derieri is not yours. You're a disgusting hybrid freak, and you should be eradicated. However, Derieri has chosen to allow you to live, so you live. But Derieri is _not_ yours. So don't overstep your bounds. I won't exterminate you so long as you don't ty anything funny."

"I'm impressed," Oswald said. "I didn't think you had it in you to go against her wishes, or to be threatening in any way other than your power. However, I'm going to give you only one warning. If I had been trying to kill you or Derieri at any point, you'd be dead. You attack me, you die." He batted Monspeet's arm away and dropped to the floor, walking back out the door.

He walked back to the hay bails, glancing at Derieri who was lounging on the one pile of hay they had left her, watching the clouds and not particularly caring to do anything. He picked up the next two bails and walked back toward the barn. He tossed them up into place just in time for Jericho's face to flash through his head. He stopped, features sinking and shoulders sagging slightly as he walked to the door and stopped, staring in the direction of Liones. He wondered what she was doing. What they were all doing. He wondered if they were searching for him. Or if they'd still welcome him back. Probably not. After defending Derieri, they'd probably try to kill him on sight. He sighed miserably and shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. That part of his life was over. Time to move on to the next.

He continued to transport the hay bails for about another ten minutes before they had bailed up Derieri's pile as well and were finished. The old couple gave them a couple more jobs to do before they called it a day. They all headed back to the barn where they were staying and Oswald climbed to his loft and hay bed, sitting down and pulling the blanket over his legs before looking across the barn to Derieri. She was already laying down, seeming to be asleep, and Monspeet was sitting up, watching Oswald blankly. Oswald sighed quietly and lay back down, closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he heard someone sit down beside him and opened his eyes, rolling onto his back and staring up at Derieri, who was staring down at him.

"Why don't you go back?" Derieri asked. "Don't you have friends there?"

Oswald watched her for a moment before sitting up, leaning against the wall of the barn, Derieri leaning against the railing across from him. "I do have friends there, or at least, I did. I doubt they'd still think of me as a friend. But I don't mind. I can live without them as long as I'm with you."

Derieri stared at her lap for a moment. "You're an idiot. I've seen the way you look when they cross your mind. And I know you want to go back. You shouldn't choose me over them. Because you'll just end up alone."

Oswald felt his chest clench but nodded. "I know. But I've been alone for three thousand years. I'm used to it."

Derieri huffed, shaking her head. "You're a goddamn moron."

He remained silent as she walked away. She was right. He _was_ being stupid. He should go back to the others. Derieri wasn't fighting anymore, so he wouldn't have to worry about her being killed, or having to kill her. And if he went home he could maybe still be with Jericho. And he might be able to patch things up with the others still. But if he stayed, he'd lose his friends. He'd lose Jericho. And Derieri's feelings wouldn't change. He sighed, curling into the fetal position before forcing himself to drift off.

Over the next few days, they did a wide range of tasks from haying, to digging ditches, putting up fences, tending to the livestock, and repairing a part of the house. As they did, Monspeet continued to be cold and unwelcoming to Oswald, and Derieri continued to promise him that he wouldn't win her over. They had continued their nightly conversations, however. Derieri had wanted to know how the world had changed, and what he had done since they had been sealed. She had been interested in his blacksmithing, saying it sounded fun, but he assured her it wasn't. It was just hot and exhausting.

Oswald drove his shovel into the ditch again and sighed heavily. They'd been there for a while. A week or so. Maybe a little more. He dumped his shovel full and drove it into the ground again only to stop, his senses tingling as Jericho's power spiked. It wasn't on the level of a battle. More akin to training. And with it, Arthur and Guila's powers both spiked as well. Oswald swallowed hard, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to continue digging.

"I don't understand you," Derieri said, standing at the top of the ditch behind him. "You miss them so bad you want to cry. And you know I'm safe. So why do you stay? Why do you continue to suffer even though you don't have to?"

"Because I'd rather suffer with you than live happily without you," Oswald said, voice quieter and more frail than he intended.

Derieri slid into the ditch and turned him by the shoulder, then slapped him. "Stop being such an idiot! Living a life of misery is just stupid! You should strive to find happiness! Even if it's not with the person you hoped!"

"It doesn't matter," Oswald said. "I can't go back. Not yet. I still owe you too much."

"For what?" Derieri asked.

"For getting Rajine killed," Oswald said, tears beginning to fall. "For not being able to save you from the coffin. For causing you to lose your arm, and your hearts. For causing you so much pain. I can never repay those debts. So I'll stay for as long as I need to. I'll stay and I'll shield you from any pain that may come, no matter what it is."

"I don't need a bodyguard," Derieri said. "I can handle myself, and pain is natural. Everyone feels it. Hiding from pain isn't right, and you can't protect someone from all pain."

"I know," Oswald said, tears sliding down his face as he turned away. "Of all people, I know you can't hide from pain, and you can't stop from feeling it. But I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from it. Even if I..."

Derieri stared at him in silence for a long while. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Oswald asked, turning back to her, thoroughly confused.

"I'm sorry," Derieri repeated. "Everything I did to you...all of the beatings, blaming you for my sister...I forced you to start blaming yourself even more than you already were, and I made you feel guilty over something you couldn't control. And for your parents too. I made you feel like a monster just because you were born different. And you had to live with that, alone, for three thousand years. Hating yourself and wanting to die but unable to end it. You've suffered more than I could ever imagine, and all because of me. If anyone owes someone, I owe you. You've protected me, and tried to help me the entire time we've known each other, and yet I caused you so much pain. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to feel sorry abou-" He stopped, eyes widening, as Derieri stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him.

"Just stop," Derieri said. "Stop being so goddamn perfect. Be selfish for once in your life. I can take care of myself, so worry about your self for once and just go be happy."

Oswald smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "I am happy. Even if it's not exactly what I want, I am happy as long as you're there. I told you, you mean everything to me."

"Damn you," Derieri said, smiling as she pulled back and wiping her eyes before her tears could fall. "You really are stubborn."

"Of course," Oswald smiled. "If I was anything else, there's no way I could get through the walls around your heart and steal you from Monspeet."

"It's not like that," Derieri said. "My sister was the one that loved him."

"And because of your respect for her feelings, you refused to admit your own," Oswald said. "It's alright. I'll steal you soon. And then I get to see the look on his face when he realizes I didn't listen to his hands-off-Derieri speech."

Derieri snorted, rolling her eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"You're one to talk," Oswald chuckled. "Now, are you going to help me dig this hole, or are you just going to lounge around like always?"

Derieri smirked. "I suppose I can help out a little. You'd probably get it wrong without help. After all, you're just a boy. You're all useless without girls."

Oswald chuckled, returning to digging as Derieri used her left hand to break the dirt up quickly. They worked tirelessly but quickly. After a few more minutes, the hole was finished and Monspeet moved the outhouse onto it. Once finished, the three of them headed over to where they had been digging trenches in order to divert rain to stop the farmhouse and barn from flooding. They set to work, and after several hours, they finished just as the sun was setting.

"I think that's probably enough for today, don't you?" Oswald asked.

"I fucking hope so," Derieri groaned. "I'm exhausted."

"Well, you haven't been working the entire time we've been here, so that's to be expected," Oswald shrugged, then danced out of the way of a borderline playful punch from her.

"Are you calling me lazy?" Derieri asked.

"Of course not," Oswald said. "Just entitled."

She punched him in the shoulder and he winced, rubbing it. Oswald glanced at Monspeet, seeing him glaring at him from behind them, so he winked back at him and subtly flipped him off before heading into the barn. He climbed up to his loft and sat down, sighing, Derieri sitting across from him after a moment.

"So...tell me about Elizabeth," Derieri said, Oswald remaining silent for a moment. "What really happened back then?"

"She had no idea we were there," Oswald said. "Ludociel had said the barrier was protection from the Demon Clan, and would keep them out of the Fairy King's Forest. But in truth, it was bait. Elizabeth had no idea what was going on until she saw us. By that time, it was too late. Ludociel used her wanting to create peace with you to stall you long enough for the trap to be sprung. But because of that, you assumed she had been a part of it all along."

"So...she actually _was_ innocent then," Derieri said. "I suppose...I owe her an apology then."

"For the record, Nerobasta deserved what she got," Oswald said. "She was with Ludociel when he caught me and your sister."

Derieri nodded. "And then she tried to kill you again for existing."

"She was never going to be strong enough for that," Oswald said. "But I'm glad part of the reason you fought her was for me."

Derieri snorted. "Don't kid yourself. I was out for revenge. It was just a coincidence that I saved your ass from that. And don't give me that bullshit about her not being strong enough. I saw you trembling when she was manifested."

Oswald chuckled. "Alright, alright. But still."

Derieri smiled, then sighed. "We should get some sleep. We still have work to do in the morning."

Oswald nodded, smiling. Derieri stood to leave, but Oswald caught her arm.

"Wait," Oswald said. "I have something for you."

"What?" Derieri asked just as a glowing red circle appeared under each of them.

"Holy Equality," Oswald said, then grunted, blood spraying out of his mouth as three spots in his torso erupted into agony before it began to fade to a white-hot ache.

At the same time, Derieri gasped, falling to her knees, a hand going to her chest as she gasped for breath, eyes bugging out of her head. In an instant, Monspeet appeared over Oswald, only for Derieri's left hand to catch both of Monspeet's.

"W...What did you just...do?" Derieri asked.

"You sacrificed six of your hearts in order to become an Indura, but when you were transformed back, you didn't get your hearts back, so I gave you three of mine," Oswald said.

Derieri stared at him before tears began to slide down her face. "You idiot!" She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest, Oswald wrapping his arms around her as well. "Thank you."

Oswald tightened his hold, tucking his face into her hair and Monspeet glared at him before turning away and heading back to his own balcony. Finally, Derieri pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"I...I can't...I don't know how to..."

"You don't have to thank me, or repay me," Oswald said. "I wanted to do it. I don't need all seven anyway."

Derieri laughed before reaching up and pressing her lips to his. Oswald's eyes widened but she pulled back before he could return the kiss.

"Thank you," Derieri said, wiping her eyes again. "This doesn't mean I have feelings for you. I just needed to thank you."

Oswald smiled, nodding. "Feel free to thank me anytime."

She rolled her eyes, pushing herself up, still smiling. "You're lucky you just halfway killed yourself." She turned, walking back to her own bed and lay down. "Goodnight Oswald."

"Goodnight Derieri," Oswald smiled. "Night Monspeet."

Monspeet just glared at him before rolling over, pulling the blanket up. Oswald smirked and also rolled over, pulling up his blanket. Maybe he was making better progress than he thought. Now if only he could give her back her arm.

* * *

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	20. Chapter 20

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Returned

Oswald sighed as he tossed the bag of feed from the wagon onto the growing pile. Derieri was much more open since he had given her his hearts, but it was clear that she had been telling the truth. She didn't have romantic feelings for him. At least, not yet. He still had hope that maybe they were starting to show, but nothing yet. He sighed again, Monspeet looking over at him from where Monspeet was unloading his own truck.

"Are you going to keep sighing?" Monspeet asked.

Oswald looked directly at him and sighed more loudly and longer, Monspeet glaring at him.

"Enough you two," Derieri said. "It's been almost two weeks. Quit bickering. Monspeet, you could try to be a little more lenient with him."

Oswald smirked, continuing to work, only for Monspeet to appear in front of him, picking him up by the throat.

"No," Monspeet said. "No more. I'm done with this farce. I've pretended to allow you to live for long enough."

"You should choose your next course of action very carefully," Oswald said, glowing red eyes with black triskelia watching Monspeet.

"I don't take orders from you, _Nephilim_," Monspeet snarled. "I'm going to remove your stain from this world and-"

Derieri's foot crashed into Monspeet's face, launching him away.

"I warned you," Oswald said, dropping to the ground. "Derieri, stay out of this."

"No," Derieri said, left hand expanding and picking him up into the air. "You two are _not_ fighting. You don't have to get along, but you are _not_ going to kill each other."

"So you're choosing this abomination, then?" Monspeet asked.

"I'm not choosing anyone!" Derieri snapped. "But you're both important to me and I'm not going to let either of you kill the other!"

"He's an unnatural monster!" Monspeet spat. "He deserves-"

An explosion cut him off, the entire farmhouse the old couple they were working for lived in transforming into a mushroom of black flames. Oswald felt his gut drop out through his feet as he watched two souls spiral into the air, a Grey Demon moving to catch them. His wings exploded out of his back in a spray of blood and he shot through the air, fist glowing white before he drilled it into the Grey Demon's forehead, throwing it backward. However, it planted its feet after a moment, just as Oswald grabbed the two souls, then shot forward, backhanding him and sending him crashing to the ground. He plowed a trench into it before stopping and releasing the souls, his hands beginning to glow, the souls shining. The Grey Demon opened its mouth but Derieri split in half, killing it. Then, a dozen jets of black flames shot down at her from above, only for Monspeet to grab her, yanking her out of the way.

Oswald shoved his magic energy and the two souls flashed, streaking into the air, past the small horde of Grey and Red demons approaching, then fading as they moved on. Oswald stood, reaching out to the cart and ripping a metal rod off of it, charging his holy magic into it as he rose into the air, stopping beside Monspeet and Derieri.

"Looks like we've been found," Oswald said.

"Oh dear," Monspeet said. "Whatever will we do against a bunch of lower-class grunts?"

"Well, if you're that afraid, maybe you should just turn and run," Oswald said. "In the mean time, I'll handle the big one."

"Big one?" Monspeet asked just as a massive creature crashed to the ground before them.

It was about Escanor's height when he was in his muscular form, but it was thin, with six lights in a pair of columns on its face, and four tentacles of darkness behind it, each tipped with a spear-head-like point. Monspeet raised an eyebrow at it. It's power felt like it was about as high as a civilian.

"What are you?" Monspeet asked, walking toward it.

"I wouldn't," Oswald said.

"Look, you're kind of interru-"

The thing's hand flashed up, backhanding Monspeet and sending him crashing along the ground, blood and teeth spraying out of his mouth.

"Monspeet!" Derieri shouted, Oswald holding his hand out in front of her to stop her chasing him.

"I tried to warn you Monspeet," Oswald said. "That _is_ the big one."

"What is that thing?" Derieri asked.

"It's a Hunter," Oswald said. "Something created by the Demon King for one very specific purpose. Me."

"It's not getting you," Derieri said.

"I'm leaving you to deal with the Reds and Greys," Oswald said. "The Hunter will follow me, so I'll draw it away. I need to go and get my bow if I'm going to survive, but if I bring it close enough to Elizabeth Meliodas will kill it."

"And you!" Derieri snapped. "We can beat it together!"

"No," Oswald said. "No we can't. It's power may be low now, but it spikes its power when it strikes."

"How do you know?" Derieri asked.

"Because this isn't the first he's sent," Oswald said. "They just keep getting stronger."

Derieri looked between the Hunter and Monspeet several times before gritting her teeth. "Please be careful."

"I will," Oswald said, turning to leave only for Derieri to catch his hand.

As he turned back to her, Derieri pulled him into a kiss, Oswald kissing her back instantly.

"I mean it," Derieri said. "Please. Come back to me safely."

"I will," Oswald promised. "I'll be back as soon as I escape Meliodas."

Derieri nodded and Oswald turned, leaping off of the ground before his wings turned black and his eyes red, darkness spreading over his body in sweeping flame-like patterns again. However, just as he finished, the Hunter appeared over him, hands clasped over it. He swore, crossing his arms and condensing his darkness to his forearms, both of which were shattered in the impact. He did, however, manage to keep from hitting the ground, continuing to streak along the ground toward where he had left his bow. His forearms snapped back into place agonizingly and healed just as he grabbed a tree, using it to slingshot himself left, the Hunter's tentacles exploding through the ground and trees where he had just been.

"Damn this thing's quick," Oswald said, flipping and forming his Holy Magic into a sphere, hurling it at the Hunter in a blur.

The sphere exploded through the Hunter's shoulder and it dropped, Oswald cutting right and pushing himself as fast as he could, streaking through the trees, dodging and weaving around them. Finally, his bow was in sight. Then, a tentacle drove itself down through his abdomen and he lurched to a stop, coughing a spray of blood. The Hunter lifted him, getting him up level with its face. Oswald swallowed hard. He was dead. Any second now, it would rip his head off. Or maybe it would make it slow and painful. Then, Derieri was behind it.

"Two hundred!" she shouted, slamming her spike-knuckled left fist into the side of its head, sending it exploding along the ground. "Let's go!"

She grabbed him and spun, hurling him at his bow. However, as he flew, he looked back, seeing the Hunter appear behind Derieri, ripping her in half at the waist, throwing her halves away from each other.

"NNNNOOO! ! !" Oswald roared, grabbing his bow and halting, the bow shining instantly.

The Hunter exploded downward at him and Oswald shot forward to meet it, separating his blades. He slashed with the right, the feathered blade crashing into one of the Hunter's tentacles before the bat wing blade split the Hunter up the front. As it crashed backward through the ground, Oswald roared in rage, tiny compressed spheres of holy magic wrapped in black flames exploding out of his hands, raining down on the Hunter rapidly. After a moment, it exploded up out of the dust, roaring as the tentacles all shot out at Oswald. Except, the Hunter was wounded. Badly. Its left arm was missing below the middle of its forearm, the right side of its abdomen was gone, and its right foot had a whole through it. Oswald turned sideways, the Hunter's tentacles streaking past him before he flipped, removing them. Then, he shot forward, crossing his arms as he neared the Hunter. Then, he slashed, splitting him in half across the chest. As soon as he had passed, he turned horizontal and spun, wing blade glowing white as the other lit with Purgatory Fire before they began to tear upward through the Hunter's back, shredding its upper body. Then, as he stopped, the pieces landed on top of the Hunter's legs and Oswald reconnected his blades before holding out his free hand, a white sphere appearing around it before a matching one appeared around the Hunter's pieces.

"Arc!" Oswald said, the pieces disintegrating within a couple of seconds.

Instantly, Oswald spun, flying down to Derieri's upper body, picking her up and flying to her lower body, placing them together. She wasn't moving, but she was alive still. Barely. He placed his hands on either side of the wound, darkness spreading onto her body, sealing the wound and reattaching her limbs. He closed his eyes, praying to every god he could think of, even the Supreme Deity and the Demon King, to heal her, to let her live. Nothing happened. He could sense her getting weaker rapidly, her heartbeats fading. He swallowed hard. Then, the darkness he had spread onto her shone white, light particles beginning to seep into it. He yanked his hands back and the light and darkness both faded. Except, she was healed partially. His eyes widened and he set his hands on her again, once again covering her with darkness before beginning to draw in light particles slowly, carefully. As he did, he carefully monitored her power. It was stabilizing. Finally, the light particles began to bounce off and he removed his darkness, finding that she was healed, though still weak and unconscious. He grabbed her left stump, her own darkness having faded when she passed out, and began to do the same thing to the stump. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, the darkness covering the end of the stump began to move, creeping downward, leaving more and more of her arm behind. He let out a shaky laugh of relief and joy, focusing. More of her arm regrew. It was at the elbow now. Then halfway down the forearm. The wrist. Then, finally, the darkness split into five smaller sections before finally fading altogether, leaving her arm fully restored as well.

"I did it," he breathed, lifting her hand and lacing his fingers with it. "I can't believe it worked."

"I can't believe you're still alive," Meliodas's voice said from behind him, Oswald setting her hand down and turning to him, gripping his bow tightly. "I sensed that thing's power all the way from Liones. It was no joke. I'm impressed you killed it."

"I won't let you kill her Meliodas," Oswald said, staring at the crest taking up Meliodas's forehead. "Kill me if you have to, but I'm begging you, let her live."

"And why would I do that?" Meliodas asked.

"Because she's not an enemy anymore," Oswald said. "She abandoned the war. She defected. She doesn't have to die."

"She's a Ten Commandment, regardless of whether or not she's actively killing," Meliodas said. "She's a threat. So she needs to be killed."

"Like when Ludociel wanted to kill her and Monspeet after Elizabeth cured them of their Indura states?" Oswald said, Meliodas freezing, hand on Lostvayne's hilt. "They were both still Ten Commandments then, but you Gloxinia and Drole all protected them then."

"That's because Elizabeth saved them," Meliodas said.

"And what do you think she would say if she were here?" Oswald asked.

Meliodas glared at him before sighing. "Fine. I won't kill her." Then, he appeared in front of Oswald, slamming his fist into his gut, lifting him off of the ground. "But I _am_ dragging you back to Liones, where you will be punished as a traitor." Then, he flipped, slamming his foot into Oswald's side, sending him exploding into a tree and consciousness had fled before he hit the ground.

* * *

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	21. Chapter 21

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Accepting Sin

Oswald groaned as consciousness returned, head swimming as bad as it had the first time he had drank with Meliodas and the others. Funny that Meliodas should again be the cause. Funny and unfortunate. Oswald sighed, opening his eyes and staring at the inside of a dark iron door. He pushed himself up to his knees and stared at his wrists, which were shackled and chained out to his sides, unable to reach each other. The chains were magically enhanced as well, keeping him from being able to break them, even if he had had his bow. He sighed, looking around the cell. It was a round, bare room with a bracket for a torch beside the door, and no other decorations. Just him chained up in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry Derieri," Oswald mumbled. "I'm not coming back like I promised."

Just then, there was a loud bang as the door was unlocked before beginning to groan open, light spilling into the room. After a moment, Meliodas stepped through the door, torch held over himself. He glared at Oswald for a moment before smirking and putting the torch in its bracket.

"You're a fool," Meliodas said. "You had friends here. You had someone that loved you. And you threw it all away for a demon."

"Wow, a little hypocritical there Meliodas," Oswald said. "You might want to be careful with that high horse of yours. It might step on the others if you don't watch your step."

Meliodas appeared in front of Oswald, drilling his punch into the side of Oswald's head, shattering his jaw, only for light particles to begin to sinking into his skin, healing his jaw much less painfully than darkness would. "I'm not going to enjoy this because you followed your heart. can't fault you for that. As you said, I'd be a hypocrite. In truth, I don't even blame you for choosing Derieri. She is rather well endowed. You're just an idiot because you believed she would ever return your feelings." His fist exploded into Oswald's gut, lifting him several feet off the ground before his chains reached their limit and stopped him. "No, I'm going to enjoy this because you brought that _thing_ toward Elizabeth. You're going to die for that."

"If you're going to kill me then just get it over with. Best not to slip any further into your old habits any earlier than you have to. After all, you _do_ intend to steal the commandments in order to save Elizabeth, don't you?"

Meliodas's fists crashed into Oswald rapidly for several seconds before he let him collapse to the floor, bloody and broken. "I think that should do for now. I think Ban's up next. He'll be in in a little while."

With that, Meliodas turned, walking out of the room, taking the torch with him. Oswald groaned, slowly healing, barely making any progress before the door opened again. He didn't lift his head. He didn't need to. He knew who it was. He had sensed her coming. He had expected her to be there when he first woke. After a moment of silence, he slowly pushed himself to his knees, blood running out of his mouth and nose. Then, he raised his swollen and bloodied face to look at Jericho as she stood there, crying and seeming to be conflicted. She was stuck between hate and wanting to kill him.

"Jericho," Oswald croaked. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry!?" Jericho shrieked. "You don't get to be sorry! Do you have any idea what happened while you were off screwing your demon whore!?"

Oswald shook his head.

"MY BROTHER DIED! ! !" Jericho screamed. "You deserted us to fuck that bitch and I lost my brother! I needed you and you were gone! We _all_ needed you! But you chose that bitch over us!" She drilled a punch into his jaw and he slumped weakly to the ground.

After a moment, he forced himself back up, only for her to slap him on the other side, nearly knocking him to the ground again.

"I hate you!" Jericho shouted, punching him again, white-hot daggers of guilt and grief stabbing into his chest as he again crumpled to the ground. "I hate you! I wish you had never saved me! I wish you were never born you disgusting Nephilim freak!" She slammed a kick into his broken ribs, but he barely felt it through the wave of grief that rolled through him at her words.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't break down. Yet. He pulled himself back up, head hanging low, but it seemed her beating was finished, because she left, leaving the torch. Oswald waited a few minutes after the door had closed before breaking. He folded forward, pressing his forehead to the ground and beginning to sob in pain and grief. He had knew it would be bad. But to hear Jericho, of all people, say that. Call him that. He could never have prepared himself. Finally the door opened again and he sensed Ban and Elaine both enter, Ban pushing the door closed and using his hand to extinguish his torch, setting it aside.

"He really did a number on you," Ban said. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry. You must really be hurting."

"It's not from Meliodas," Elaine said, landing on the floor beside Oswald, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's his heart that's hurting. It's Jericho."

"Oh," Ban said. "I suppose that one I can understand, then. What happened?"

Oswald tried to get himself under control but failed. Finally, Elaine sighed, answering for him.

"She visited," Elaine said. "She said she hated him, and wished he had never been born. She...called him a Nephilim freak."

"Ouch," Ban sighed. "Well, that's what you get for dumping her for one of the Ten Commandments. Why'd you do it? What really happened? Meliodas said you betrayed us and joined them."

Oswald swallowed hard, finally pulling himself under control. "He was going to kill her. Meliodas was going to kill Derieri. It wasn't unreasonable, since she was an enemy, but I couldn't see her hurt. I couldn't let her die. So I shielded her. Then I passed out. When Meliodas tried to kill all three of us, her and Monspeet saved me and got us away from him, barely. But if I had come back, I would've been right here anyway, so I stayed. And...I stayed because I love her. I wanted to be with her. We all deserted. We were done with the war. We didn't want to fight anymore, so we worked on a farm. And slowly, I actually managed to win Derieri over. But...then the Demon army found us. they killed the elderly couple that had taken us all in, and a Hunter showed up for me. It's a creation of the Demon King specifically meant for me. I tried to draw it away, to get my bow, but it caught me. So Derieri fought it so I could escape. But it tore her in half. I...lost it. I went berserk and tore it apart with my bow in seconds. Then I healed her, only for Meliodas to show up. I convinced him to let her live, I think...I hope. But he knocked me out, and then I woke up here."

"So...you never really betrayed us?" Ban asked. "You just...chose to protect someone Meliodas wanted to kill."

"It's still a betrayal," Oswald said. "It's just not fully treason. But...I'm still the Nephilim Sin of Existence. I still deserve this. I always have. But...I don't want to die. I...I can't. I want...I want to be with Derieri. And I want to be with Jericho. I...I love both. I don't know what to do."

Ban and Elaine were silent for a long moment before Ban finally spoke.

"The Goddess Race are the ones who said it's wrong to be with more than one person," Ban said.

Oswald snorted. "Yeah while they also want to kill me just for existing."

"Exactly my point," Ban said. "People's morals are based on how they're raised, right?"

Oswald remained silent for a long while. "It doesn't matter anymore. Jericho hates me. And I'll never be able to see Derieri again."

"That's not true," Elaine said. "Jericho still loves you. She's just hurting. She lost her brother and her love at the same time. She's just lashing out. She hasn't stopped loving you. And Derieri will be here to break you out in no time if you don't go to her first."

"Meliodas will kill her before she can get here," Oswald said.

"Probably," Ban nodded. "And I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to let you go."

Oswald nodded. "I know. No one can without the direct order of the King. But he trusts Meliodas more than me. Even if I _could_ plead my case, it wouldn't matter."

"Then I'll do it," Elaine said. "I'll plead your case for you."

Oswald nodded and the two said their goodbyes and left, Ban relighting his torch on the way.

* * *

Oswald lifted his head as the door opened, King Bartra walking in, Meliodas behind him, along with Elizabeth and Elaine.

"How do you feel?" Bartra asked.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," Oswald said.

"We're not going to kill you," Elizabeth said, kneeling in front of him. "Please, tell us your side. Tell us why you defended them."

"Because I love her," Oswald said. "I know it's a sin, but I'm in love with a demon. So I couldn't watch her die. So I shielded her. Then we deserted both sides of the war and lived on a farm until it was destroyed by demons. One in particular was powerful, so I flew back to where we fought Derieri and Monspeet in order to get my bow before I could kill it. Then Meliodas...apprehended me."

Elizabeth nodded, looking to Bartra, who sighed. "Father, please."

"You're to be released," Bartra said. "However, you're going to be punished for desertion."

"I was never a part of your army," Oswald said.

"Not true," Meliodas said. "You were an official member of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Then I quit," Oswald said.

"I refuse," Bartra said. "You have two choices. Either you will serve out the remainder of this war as a Deadly Sin, or you will be executed. In either case, if Derieri is seen again, I have authorized Meliodas to kill her."

"Father!" Elizabeth gasped.

"If Meliodas tries to kill her, we'll be back to square one, because I _will_ defend her again," Oswald said. "To the death, if I have to."

"Father please," Elizabeth said. "Don't have her killed!"

"She is a demon," Bartra said.

"So is Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth said. "Why is it right that Sir Meliodas not be killed for being a demon but Derieri is?"

Bartra was silent for a long while before sighing. "Very well. She will not be killed. But you are still to serve the remainder of the war as one of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"So long as you swear to me on all three of your daughters' lives that Derieri will not be harmed, I will serve," Oswald said. "But if you break your word, I _will_ collect."

"You'll try," Meliodas said, eyes narrowing.

"You have my word," Bartra said. "Neither I nor any of those under my command will harm Derieri."

"Then I will serve," Oswald said.

Bartra nodded and Meliodas drew Lostvayne, cutting him free before placing it to his throat.

"If you _ever_ threaten Elizabeth again, I'll kill you," Meliodas snarled.

"And if you ever hurt Derieri, I'll jumpstart Elizabeth's reincarnation cycle," Oswald whispered, too quietly for Elizabeth to hear. "And now that we've reached an agreement, I'll be taking my bow. I have someone else I need to apologize to."

"She doesn't want to see you," Meliodas said. "And you're not getting your Sacred Treasure until we know we can trust you. You'll have your old sword instead."

"Good enough," Oswald said. "I'll be by to collect it later."

He walked past them, swaying for a moment before managing to steady himself. He walked first to Merlin's workshop, getting her permission to use her washroom to get cleaned up, then left, heading through the city to Jericho's house. He knocked on the door, and after a moment, the door opened, only to begin to shut again the moment she saw who it was. He put his foot in the doorway, blocking it.

"I just want to talk," Oswald said.

"I have nothing to say to you," Jericho said.

"But I have a lot that I need to say to you," Oswald said. "I'm sorry, Jericho. I never meant to hurt you."

Jericho was silent for several seconds before pulling the door open. He walked in, closing it behind himself and watched as she walked over to sit on the couch. She glared at him, motioning for him to speak.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Oswald repeated. "I never wanted that. But I couldn't watch her die. I defended her, but I was knocked unconscious by the attack, Meliodas's attack, so while I was away, Meliodas told everyone what he saw, me defending a Commandment. It wasn't my intention to betray anyone. I just..."

"Do you love her?" Jericho asked.

"Yes," Oswald said. "I do."

"Okay," Jericho said, standing and turning to leave. "Then I understand. Now you can leave."

"But I love you too," Oswald said, Jericho stopping, Oswald walking over to stand behind her. He reached out, taking her hand and pulling gently, Jericho giving in after a moment and turning to him. "I love you Jericho. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me, and I'm sorry I can't give you my whole heart."

"Don't do this," Jericho said as Oswald leaned in close but stopped. "I don't want...I can't let you in again just to lose you to her again."

"Jericho..."

"What do you want?" Jericho asked. "Can you promise me that you'll be mine? That you won't choose her?"

"No," Oswald said, pulling back slightly. "I can't promise that, because I _can't_ choose one of you if it means losing the other. I love you both. I want to be with you both."

"We can't," Jericho said. "You _have_ to choose."

"Why?" Oswald asked. "Because the same race that says my very existence is a sin says I can't have you both? If everything I do is a sin just because I exist, then I don't care what they say. I care about you. And I care about Derieri. And I want to be with you both. If everything I do is a sin anyway, then I choose to accept it and to have you both, if you still want to be with me." He leaned in again, just barely brushing his lips against Jericho's, feeling her lean in as well, only for her to pull back, swallowing hard.

"That's not fair," Jericho said, voice trembling. "You _know_ I want to be with you. But I want to be the _only_ one with you. I want your whole heart."

"I can't give you that," Oswald said. "I'm sorry. The best I can do is promise you that Derieri will never be more important to me than you, but also that you will never be more important to me than her. I love you both."

Jericho swallowed hard, resting her forehead against his, her hands reaching up to his neck, wrapping around behind it and holding him. "I...I don't want to share."

"I know," Oswald said, hands resting on her hips, thumbs brushing over her skin under the edge of her shirt. "I know you don't."

"Promise me that I'll still be able to be with you," Jericho pleaded. "Even if I have to share, promise me that you'll always love me. And if she refuses, promise me that you'll stay with me. I can't lose you again."

Oswald was silent for several seconds, studying her as her eyes stared into his. "I promise you, that no matter what happens, I will always love you. And I promise that I will never leave you again. Even if she refuses."

Tears began to leak down Jericho's cheeks instantly as she smiled. "Then we can try. As long as you never stop loving me, and never leave me, we can try."

Oswald felt his heart swell and leaned in, capturing Jericho's lips with his own, Jericho kissing him back instantly. For a long while, they simply stood there, trading kisses and pouring their hearts out for each other. Then, finally, Oswald's hands slid downward, Jericho's arms instantly slipping up to hook around his neck before she lifted her legs, Oswald holding her against him and walking into her bedroom, kicking the door closed before walking to the bed and gently laying her on her back, pressing into her as his tongue trailed over her lower lip, her own meeting his within seconds. She took a shaky breath as he rocked against her, his hands drifting over her body, not going anywhere specific, just feeling her, almost as though to prove to himself that it was really her, that it was real.

After a moment, he pulled back, gripping the hem of her shirt and she sat up, raising her arms and letting him pull it off of her before she grabbed him, pulling him back into the kiss. Her tongue danced into his mouth instantly and he pulled her tighter against him, needing to feel her, to be closer to her. He began to trail his hands over her smooth skin again, reassuring himself once again that she was really there with him. His hands made a practiced trek across her skin, mapping out the locations of all of her scars again. He was ashamed to find new ones. None of them were serious, and her having them didn't detract from her beauty at all in his eyes, but it proved to him that he had failed her. He had left and she had been hurt. He was yanked forcefully from that train of thought as she nipped at his lower lip and he realized he had been brushing his thumbs over two new scars for several seconds, maybe a minute. His hands continued, drifting over her skin again as they continued their tongues' dance.

After a few more seconds, her hands grabbed his shirt and pulled it up over his head, getting it off of him with only slightly more trouble than he had had, before pressing herself flush against him again, rejoining her lips to his. He lay her down again, hands brushing over her sides before sliding up to her breasts, kneading the mounds earning a moan from Jericho. She tilted her head back, gasping for breath and trying to steady her ragged breathing, Oswald doing the same in between placing kisses along the length of her neck, pulling more moans from her throat. He had missed this. Feeling her flesh beneath his hands, tasting her skin and her lips, hearing her mewls and moans and whimpers. Knowing that it was because of him, and that only he had ever seen this side of her.

He attached his lips to her pulse point, suckling on her skin and pulling a moan from deep in her throat. He repeated it again and again before moving to another spot, then another. He was sure she'd get mad at him for leaving so many extremely obvious marks on her neck, but that was a problem for another time. For now, he didn't care, and she had no immediate complaints, judging by the way her hips rocked against his thigh and his finger found suddenly straining flesh to tease. He began to trek kisses down her neck, then along her collarbones before continuing down to the her breasts. He explored slowly and thoroughly, allowing his lips and tongue to memorize every spot, every millimeter of her skin before moving up to her peaks. She let out a mewling sound as he took one of her nipples into his mouth, trailing his tongue around it and sucking it, all the while his left hand's fingers tweaked and teased the other, his other hand resting on the small of her back, holding her, just to make sure she didn't disappear out from under him.

Finally he released her strained skin and made his way slowly over to the other, his left hand trailing around to her back, his right moving up to rest just below her shoulder blades, splaying there. He gently bit down on her nipple, tugging it lightly with his teeth and she gasped before he released it and gently soothed the offended flesh with his tongue. Then, he began to slowly trek downward again, hands sliding over her skin again, making a journey around to the front of her hips and hooking his fingers into the waistband of her pants, pulling them down. They were a stretchy black material that hugged her form tightly, but that came off easily. He smiled. He loved them.

Once they were off, his hands trailed back up the insides of her legs, gently guiding them to open and Jericho pulled them up out of his way as he reached her waist. His hands slid down to the axis of her thighs, brushing along the sensitive skin where her thighs met her pelvis before sliding around the outside of her legs, settling on her hips as he gently placed a kiss to her pelvis. Jericho whimpered, rolling her hips slightly, trying to bring her lips to his, but he followed her hips, placing another kiss to her pelvis. She whimpered again but her hips settled onto the bed. He placed one more kiss before moving down, trailing his tongue down to her slit, circling her clit once and earning a moan, her hips flinching slightly at the sudden shock of pleasure. He trailed his tongue down through her slit, then back up, starting a slow rhythm. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Circle. Down. She moaned under his treatment, hips beginning to rock in time with his tongue, and her essence began to leak from her entrance quickly. He smiled. He had always loved her taste. It was sweet.

He slid down, pressing his lips to hers around her entrance and pushed his tongue against her opening, slowly wriggling his way into her, Jericho moaning appreciatively, hands tangling in his hair. He slid his tongue back out, then pushed it in again, gathering as much of her taste as he could, reveling in the tendrils of numb pleasure her taste worked into his brain. He loved tasting her. His right hand slid up her thigh then slid around until his fingers found her clit, beginning to rub it in slam circles, Jericho's moans growing louder. And then, he was back to his rhythm. Up. Down. Up. Down. In. Up. Circle. Down. In. He lapped at her again and again, feeling her grip on his hair tightening the longer he did, and hearing her voice growing more hoarse and desperate, her breathing becoming more ragged. Her hips began to rock more urgently, and still he continued to revel in her taste. He began to change his rhythm, varying it just enough to throw her mind for a loop, sending her spiraling higher in her haze of bliss, earning louder responses as a reward. Finally, he moved up to her clit, wrapping his lips around it and suckling on it, dragging his tongue across it several times before releasing it, replacing it with his fingers as he trailed his tongue back down to her entrance. However, this time, as his tongue wriggled its way into her, his fingers skipped from slow circles to flying over her clit. Jericho cried out instantly, hips bucking and rolling frantically. He looked up, watching her expression as best he could as he quickly worked her closer and closer to the edge. The few times they had been together before, he had gotten good at reading her, so when her face began to screw up and redden, he slipped his tongue out of her, fingers slowing to a stop and pulling back, his tongue lazily trailing through her slit. She groaned in complaint and he reached up, slipping his hand into hers, lacing their fingers and beginning to slightly draw random designs with his tongue.

"P...Please," Jericho panted. "I'm...so close!"

He smiled, speeding up slightly but only enough to keep her right on the brink, keeping her in a dizzying state of teetering on the brink but not being able to be pushed over the edge, simply being held right there, hovering on the edge. She pleaded with him to give her the release she craved, only for him to keep her right on the edge. Then, finally, just as her expression began to contort into a look of desperation, and her voice began to fail, he moved down, pushing his tongue into her as his fingers returned to her clit, returning to its former speed, blurring over her clit. The effect was instant, Jericho's hips bucking and her insides clenching, actually forcing his tongue back out, only for him to slip it back inside each time. She cried out in pleasure, bucking and jerking against him, her juices flooding out of her into his mouth. He continued to pleasure her as she came, and after a few moments, she gasped harshly and arching off the bed and all but screaming, her juices suddenly spraying out. Her right hand clenched his painfully tight as her other fisted in the sheet. Her body remained arched for several long moments, trembling but immobile, before she began to slowly come back down from her peak, her body unlocking and dropping back to the bed, Oswald slowly easing back down, still lapping at her juices. Finally, he began to slowly kiss his way up her still trembling and periodically jerking body to her lips, melding his own to hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth, her own meeting his and a deep, guttural moan rolling out of her as she tasted herself.

Her hands slipped into his, lacing their fingers as their tongues twisted and slid against each other's, her body pressing up into his, but neither trying to go any further yet. They just wanted to stay as they were. After a few minutes, he slipped his hands out of hers, trailing them along her arms before wrapping them around her and rolling, pulling her on top of him before settling in, holding her against himself. Her own hands fell to rest on his chest, remaining there for a long while before she pulled back, sitting up. His hands slid down to rest on her hips as she stared down at him in silence. He felt his insides begin to squirm under her gaze. He didn't know what it was, or what was running through her head, but he felt nervous.

"You're so beautiful," he finally muttered, just to fill the silence, and to try and get her to do something beside stare.

She smiled, lifting one of his hands, turning it over and beginning to trace its lines with her free hand. His brow furrowed. She wasn't usually like this. Something was off. He didn't think it was the prospect of sharing him, though, or him having disappeared. It was something else.

"Today's not a safe day," Jericho said, Oswald nodding.

It wasn't the first time it wasn't a safe day. He wasn't sure why she felt she should bring this up, or why she was hesitating.

"What's wrong?" Oswald asked.

Jericho shook her head, eyes watering. "I'm happy. Truly. I finally got you to admit you're in love with me. But..."

"But what?" Oswald asked, sitting up and lifting her chin, making her look at him. "Talk to me."

"I'm afraid," she said. "I don't want to lose you again. But I know that we're about to fight even more dangerous foes. I know there's no way you can promise me that you'll always come back to me."

"But I do," Oswald said, cupping her cheek. "I swear to you, that no matter what, I will always come back to you. For as long as you still love me, you will never lose me."

Jericho opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind and closed it again, nodding. Oswald kissed her for a moment before pulling back.

"You will never have to associate with her if you don't want to," Oswald said. "Assuming she agrees, we can figure it out after the war."

Jericho nodded and smiled. "You know, I never thought there'd be anyone who I would love enough to do something like this. I actually never thought I'd be one to fall in love to begin with."

Oswald smiled slightly, but it faded quickly. "Are you okay?"

"I...yeah," Jericho nodded. "Sorry. I'm killing the mood."

"I don't care about that," Oswald said. "If there's anything bothering you, you can tell me."

Jericho remained silent, continuing to trace the lines of his hand between them. "I...I don't know. I have a really bad feeling. I don't want you to fight in the war anymore. I feel like I'll never see you again if you do."

Oswald inhaled slowly before nodding, brushing his fingers over her cheek. "I told you, you will never lose me. As long as you love me, I will always come back to you."

Jericho nodded slowly. "I know. But...I'm afraid."

Oswald slipped his hand out of hers, wrapping his arms around her, and kissed her. "You don't need to be afraid. I will never let anything hurt you again, and I will never leave you. I love you, Jericho. And I always will."

She nodded, kissing him again. "Will you stay with me? Until we have to leave?"

"Of course," Oswald nodded. "As long as you want."

She nodded, smiling, and kissed him again. It was slow this time. Chaste. After a few seconds, she pulled back, pulling the covers back and climbing in, Oswald dropping his pants and climbing in with her, Jericho curling into him, Oswald curling himself around her.

"I love you," Jericho said.

"I love you too," Oswald said. "Before we leave tomorrow, we'll need to go and find Derieri. If we don't, she'll assume I'm a prisoner and come looking for a fight."

Jericho nodded. "And we'll have to give her the choice."

Oswald nodded. "Try to keep an open mind, please? Don't antagonize her or anything. She's...slow to let people in. And she's a bit hard to get along with in the mean time."

"I'll try," Jericho said.

Oswald nodded, kissing her, then curled himself around her again, both beginning to drift off to sleep.

* * *

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	22. Chapter 22

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Choice

Oswald slid his sword into its sheath just as he and Jericho stepped into the armory, Jericho guiding him through it to an armor rack at the back. He stopped, staring at it in awe. It was all gleaming silver plate mail with the front being in the design of the flower from his Heaven's Shield with the mark on his shoulder, the one identifying him as a Nephilim, proudly displayed in the center. On the back were a pair of holes positioned perfectly for his wings. The armor was staggered in plates below his ribs for mobility. It had a pair of pauldrons made from double-stacked plates that stood about three inches high, and there were a pair of greaves and gauntlets. On the elbows and knees were Triskelia, and Oswald's personal favorite part of the armor was that there was a half-cape of pure white feathers that hung from its left pauldrons to waist-height.

"This is mine?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Jericho nodded. "I designed it myself. Do you like it?"

He reached out, resting a hand on the Nephilim crest. "I love it."

She smiled and he handed her his sword as he began to change into the armor, starting with the black bodysuit with it. Once he was done, he turned toward her and she smiled, handing him the sword, which he slung across his back, adjusting the strap so that it fit right and didn't cover the Nephilim crest. Jericho smiled and nodded, slipping her hand into his as they walked out of the armory and toward the exit. As they stepped outside, Oswald grunted in pain, a pair of wings bursting from his back in a spray of blood. Jericho winced sympathetically.

"I wish there were an easier way to do that," she said.

"That would be to never need to regrow them," Oswald said. "Normal Angels and Goddesses don't have the ability to regrow them if lost."

"I see," Jericho nodded as he picked her up. "Are you ready?"

"I think so," Oswald nodded. "Are you?"

"I think so," Jericho said.

Oswald nodded and took off, flying them both away from the city, to where he, Derieri, and Monspeet had been staying. As he landed, he and Jericho took in the damage. The farm was completely destroyed, and nothing had survived. The house was a crater, the barn had burned down, but had long since stopped smoking, the cattle and other various animals were rotting corpses, the crops were all rotted, and craters dotted the land. However, sitting amongst the burnt remains of the barn were the two demons they were looking for.

"Derieri!" Oswald called out, her head snapping around instantly before a pair of wings formed from her back and she shot forward, grabbing him in a hug and lifting him into the air, spinning and kissing him before sobbing into his chest, paying his new armor no attention. "I was so worried about you."

"Me?" she asked. "You're the one that got captured. Are you okay? Did Meliodas hurt you?"

"Nothing permanent, or unexpected," Oswald said. "But what about you? Are you really fully healed?"

"Yes," Derieri nodded as they landed lightly on the ground, holding up her left hand. "I even have my arm back. I don't know how, but you managed to give me back my arm as well as save my life. I can't thank you enough."

Oswald smiled, reaching up and wiping away the stray tears on her face, Derieri smiling and kissing him again, Oswald kissing her back, hands dropping to settle at the small of her back. After a few seconds, however, he pulled away. Her brow furrowed with worry before she looked down at his armor for the first time.

"You're going to fight, aren't you?" Derieri asked.

"I have to," Oswald said. "If I don't, they'll come after you. And Jericho."

Derieri's eyes narrowed slightly as her eyes shifted to the woman in question. "Speaking of, what's she doing here?"

"She's...here to hear your answer," Oswald said.

"My answer?" Derieri asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you're worried I'm going to go back to the demons, you don't have to worry. I'm not."

"Not that," Oswald said. "It's...something else."

Derieri watched him suspiciously. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Oswald took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he knew her reaction would be. "I love you, Derieri. But, I also love Jericho. I tried to choose between you, but I couldn't. I love you both, and I want to be with you both. But I obviously can't force you to. She's here because...she already agreed to try, if you're willing."

Derieri quirked an eyebrow, studying him for a moment before her right hand flashed up, drilling a punch into his jaw and launching him to the side. He bounced once before she crashed down on top of him.

"Are you fucking serious right now!?" Derieri seethed. "_That's_ what this is about!? You went and fucked some whore and now you come back here and tell me you want to be allowed to fuck _both_ of us? Are you fucking kidding me!? You're a fucking idiot! I told you, I don't have feelings for you!"

Oswald raised an eyebrow this time, the corner of his mouth rising. Derieri huffed, rolling her eyes before leaning down, capturing his lips with her own. After a few seconds, she pulled back, sighing heavily.

"Fine," Derieri sighed. "I'll go along with it. After all, I still get to be with you, and as an added bonus I get to piss off the Goddesses. Plus it'll be fun to make your side chick jealous. I _am_ the main girlfriend, right?"

"I don't have a main one," Oswald said. "I care about you both equally."

Derieri rolled her eyes. "Of course you do. Just don't expect any lesbian shit. She's not my type."

Oswald nodded and Derieri pulled him up, slipping her hand into his as they walked back, Jericho walking over to meet them.

"She agreed," Oswald said.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed," Jericho sighed. "Alright, so...what now?"

Oswald looked toward Liones for a moment before turning to Derieri. "Will you come back with us? Will you help us fight?"

"Well if I didn't, that would mean Flatty there would have you all to herself," Derieri shrugged.

"I'm not flat!" Jericho shouted, crossing her arms over her chest and blushing.

"Derieri, try to be nice," Oswald said. "Please? For me?"

Derieri leaned forward, kissing him before pulling back and smiling. "No promises. Monspeet, we're going with them."

Monspeet glared at Oswald for a moment before nodding, both extending wings of darkness. Oswald picked up Jericho and they flew back. Except, as they neared the wall, something fell off of the top of the castle.

"What was that?" Oswald asked extending his senses.

"It looked like someone jumped off the castle," Jericho said.

"I think it was Gowther," Oswald said. "Shit it was. What's he up to now?"

"Drop me off," Jericho said. "You can deal with him faster."

Oswald nodded and swooped low, dropping Jericho on her feet before taking off again, Derieri and Monspeet having stayed back outside the city, keeping themselves hidden for the moment. After a few moments of flying, Oswald dropped to the road beside Diane and King, who were racing through the streets. He hadn't realized they were back, but he ran alongside them instantly, Diane being in her shrunken state, though in a miniature version of her normal outfit, and King being shirtless with his helmet resting on his head and a pair of tiny butterfly wings like Gloxinia's on his back.

"What's going on?" Oswald asked.

"The king found Gowther's magical heart which he threw away to forget feelings, but Gowther took off because he's starting to remember his past, and why he threw it away in the first place," Diane said.

"He's...okay then," Oswald said. "King, there's going to be an bridge up ahead, cut him off."

King took off instantly and Oswald glanced at Diane. Something was different.

"Something's different about you two," Oswald said.

"Long story," Diane said. "We'll fill you in later."

Oswald nodded just as Gowther came into view, hands raised and his magical energy coating them.

"Lost World," Gowther said, only for Diane to streak past Oswald, jumping and slamming her feet into his side, launching him. He flipped, landing on his feet and skidding a ways before slamming his hands into the wall behind himself. "What are you doing Diane?"

"You were about to use the same spell you once erased Zeal's memories with weren't you?" Diane asked. "In that case, that means you've begun to remember something, haven't you?"

Gowther was silent for a moment. "I simply tried to quiet the sudden outbreak of noise in my head."

"Those are memories, and emotions," Oswald said, walking over to stand beside Diane, spreading his wings to block that path. "Give up Gowther. We're going to help you whether you want it or not." He began to spike his power, Gowther watching him silently for a moment before muttering to himself.

Then, Gowther took off, sprinting toward the castle rapidly.

"Excellent choice Gowther," Oswald smirked. "Let's go. We have to drive him to King so that we can end this peacefully."

Diane nodded and they took off after Gowther. After a few minutes, they reached an underpass and Gowther skidded to a stop as King and Chastiefol blocked his path, Chastiefol in its true second configuration, King's power more than ten times what it normally was as a result.

"King, not you too," Gowther said. "Power level, forty one thousand six hundred!? probability of successful escape has dropped to zero percent."

"It's over Gowther," Oswald said. "I'm not chasing you anymore. Try to run again and I take your legs off."

"Hey guys, what's all the commotion out here!?" Veronica demanded, walking toward them with a sword on her shoulder.

"Stay back, it's dangerous here!" King shouted, but it was too late.

Gowther shot toward her, reaching out to grab her. "Sorry, but in order to escape, I need to make you my hostage."

Except, he froze as he reached her.

"Gowther...of the Seven Deadly Sins?" Veronica asked. "What are you doing here?"

Gowther's eyes slowly widened, clearly seeing a memory, then he staggered backward, magical energy flying from his hands again. "No!"

Oswald appeared behind him instantly, grabbing his forearms and holding them out to the sides, keeping him from wiping his memory. "lady Veronica, please head back inside for now. We'll take care of this. It's nothing to worry about."

Veronica turned, sprinting back inside instantly.

"How can you so easily just decide to erase your own memories like that?" Diane demanded from behind Gowther.

"I must...once more...erase this noise...again!" Gowther said, struggling to break free, only to stop as he finished speaking, eyes widening.

"What did you just say?" Diane asked.

"Erase this noise again?" Gowther repeated. "That's right, I had erased my own memory once before as well."

"But it didn't stick, did it," Oswald said. "Whenever your magic wasn't suppressed, you started to remember, and then your body would go out of control, trying to reject those memories, but all the while trying to recreate them. Like with Guila. You were in love once. But you lost her. Didn't you?"

"Nadja," Gowther breathed before his eyes shot wide open. "No! I don't...need them. Memories...or a heart...I don't need any of them."

"That's not true, Gowther," Oswald said. "You've been trying to learn how to get a heart, remember? You've been trying to learn to love from Guila."

"No," gowther said. "I...didn't want this."

"It would seem you had everything handled," Merlin said, floating down from above with a red heart-shaped crystal wrapped in gold vine-like designs in her hand. "I finally understand why your mind is so unstable. In an attempt to save the life of Nadja, princess of Liones, who had been suffering from an ailing heart, you ripped out your own heart and tried to replace hers with it. But it didn't bring Nadja back to life. Overcome with grief, you threw your heart away and erased your own memories."

"Please, please," Gowther said quietly. "Just break me."

"Get ahold of yourself Gowther!" Diane shouted, spinning him, since he had stopped trying to erase his memory, getting in his face. "If it's ever hard, if you're ever hurting, you've always got us here! All of us Seven Deadly Sins are here for you! Even in the most painful memories, there's sure to be precious moments as well! Remember, Gowther!"

Gowther's head fell forward as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"I did some examining, and it turns out this little box here was never enchanted with any Heart Magic to begin with," Merlin said. "Or rather, something like Heart Magic never existed in the first place."

"What?" King asked. "So then, where is Gowther's heart now?"

"Exactly where it's always been," Oswald said. "Inside Gowther. Buried deep beneath layers of magic blocks to keep it hidden and fighting desperately to be free again."

"I...have...a heart?" Gowther asked.

"That's right, Gowther," Diane smiled.

"A heart isn't just the organ," Oswald said. "A heart is what you call all of your emotions, your memories, your personality. Everything that makes you who you are. Another word for it is your soul. If you don't believe me, just check your face. If you didn't have a heart, you wouldn't be crying."

Gowther's eyes widened just before Magic Energy began to fly off of him in waves, his power skyrocketing.

"Gowther's power has increased drastically," King said.

"It's his true power," Oswald said. "Your heart is what ultimately controls your power, so with his heart free once again, he's able to return to his true power."

"Gowther, you are the magnum opus of a great magician, the pinnacle achievement of his life," Merlin smiled. "So it wouldn't be that strange to think you have a heart."

"I...closed off my heart...with my own hands," Gowther said. "I tried to forget the pain of losing those who were important to me, and with that, I forgot all about those people. Thank you Diane, for guiding me down the right path."

"So we meet again," Diane smiled.

Oswald stared at her in confusion, before shaking his head. He'd wait for the explanation later. "So, Gowther. Now that you've got a heart, I have a question for you. What are you going to do about Guila?"

Gowther stared at the ground as he considered for a long moment before looking up at Oswald. "I don't know. I will think about it."

"Fair enough," Oswald nodded.

"Guess we didn't need to step in after all," Meliodas's voice said from above them, everyone looking up.

"Captain!" Diane smiled. "Ban!"

"Were you able to find Gowther?" Escanor's frail voice said from behind Oswald, who turned, staring at him in confusion. It was almost noon, and he was as small as he was at night.

"How are you not gigantic?" Oswald asked.

"Oh, my magic glasses," Escanor said. "Merlin gave them to me. They suppress my power so that I can remain in control during the day."

"Impressive," Oswald said. "But you can't find a way for me to form wings without bloodshed."

Merlin shrugged, smiling. "I probably could if I felt like it."

Oswald grumbled then sighed, lifting into the air. "I gotta go. Fair warning, I'm bringing Derieri and Monspeet back with me. They're joining our side."

"What!?" everyone but Meliodas, Gowther, and Merlin shouted, Meliodas glaring at him while Merlin and Gowther watched him curiously.

"You recruited two of the Ten Commandments?" Gowther asked.

"Well done," Merlin smiled. "I'm rather impressed."

"If you think _that's_ impressive..." Oswald said, shaking his head.

"They didn't," Ban gaped.

"They did," Oswald said. "Gotta go. Merlin, I'll meet you at your workshop for an explanation of what I missed and for you to solve my bleeding problem."

Merlin chuckled and nodded. "Alright. Bring your new friends along. I promise I won't hurt them."

Oswald nodded and left, heading to pick up Jericho first, then to get Derieri and Monspeet before heading to Merlin's.

* * *

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	23. Chapter 23

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Countdown

Oswald sipped at his liquor in silence as the other Sins all happily knocked their alcohol back. Oswald wasn't much in the partying mood. According to Merlin, Arthur had gone missing somewhere South of Camelot a few days ago and she had yet to be able to find him. Aside from that, the news was generally positive. King and Diane had finally gotten together, though Diane and King's explanation of it was a bit more entertaining and fitting than Merlin's. They had fought Gloxinia and Drole and lost badly, only for the two former rulers to send their souls back in time to live out a battle at the end of the first Holy War three thousand years ago, the battle in which they both changed sides. Except, King and Diane had chosen differently, and for it had been returned to the present time with the knowledge of how to wield their abilities properly and gaining huge powerups for it, as well as finally being scared about each other's fate during the trial they had been put through to finally get around to doing something about their feelings. Gowther having his heart back was also good, as was Gowther deciding to stay with Guila, especially now that he stood a chance of actually returning her feelings. However, that left one headache left to torment Oswald.

Derieri folded her arms on top of Oswald's head, leaning her weight on him and grinning down at him. "Why are you being so sour? It's a party."

"And you've drank almost more than anyone," Oswald said. "I think you could probably outdrink both Merlin and Meliodas."

"Speaking of," Escanor said from off to the side, where he had been reciting poetry that no one was listening to. "Has anyone seen Lady Merlin?"

"I'm sure she'll be along," Oswald said, just as she appeared in her chair.

She had swapped out her coat and shorts for a leotard, though the front was still open in the middle, reaching inward only just enough to cover her nipples, and the back was open halfway down her back. As soon as Oswald's eyes flicked to her, Derieri's head bent down into his line of sight.

"You'd better not be doing what I think you are," she said, the blush on her cheeks matching her slightly slurred words.

"Why would I be doing that with you two here?" Oswald asked, glancing to his side where Jericho was resting on his shoulder, her fingers laced with his and nursing a mug of ale.

"Good answer," Derieri smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips before returning to drinking.

"You really are a good-for-nothing swine," Hawk said, walking over. "Forcing those two to allow each other to-"

Oswald extended an arm of darkness, lifting Hawk by the nostrils with it. "If I want your opinion, Hawk, I'll ask you how you want me to cook you. In the mean time, my relationships are none of your business." He tossed Hawk, who landed on his back and rolled backward onto his feet again before huffing and walking away, beginning to search for fallen food.

"You're getting better at controlling your darkness," Derieri smiled, sitting in her seat at his other side. "Wanna arm wrestle?"

"Nope," Oswald said, taking a drink.

"You're no fun," Derieri sighed. "Oh well. Jericho and I'll fix that later."

Ban sprayed ale out of his nose before coughing and wiping it with his sleeve. Oswald raised an eyebrow and Ban shook his head. Oswald snorted and shook his head as Elaine glared at Ban suspiciously. After a few more minutes, Ban called for another toast now that all of the Sins were present, and they toasted. However, shortly after, Merlin dismissed herself, claiming to be drunk. Oswald watched her walk away, catching the slightest waver in her steps.

"What is it?" Jericho asked, recognizing the serious expression on his face.

"I think she's hurt," Oswald muttered.

Jericho looked after Merlin worriedly and Oswald sighed.

"I'm sure I'm imagining things," Oswald said.

"Well, in that case, we should get your imagination off of other girls," Derieri whispered. "Want to get out of here so me and Jericho can have some fun."

"I told you, I'm not doing that," Jericho hissed.

"Then I'll get him all to myself for tonight," Derieri smirked.

Oswald watched her sway for a moment and sighed. "Alright. Let's go you two."

Derieri grinned victoriously and Jericho sighed heavily, the three of them walking out of the bar and back to Jericho's house, where she had given Derieri permission to stay until they left. Derieri all but dragged Oswald to her room, climbing onto the bed on her knees and turning back to him, kissing him.

"I promise I'll be the best you'll ever have," Derieri grinned against his lips.

"Oh is that right?" Oswald asked, smirking, pulling back.

"Definitely," Derieri grinned.

Oswald hummed thoughtfully and reached up, cupping her chin before swinging her head to the side and back quickly, Derieri swaying dangerously instantly.

"Whoa," Derieri said. "That's...kind of..." She tipped backward, collapsing onto her bed and beginning to snore.

"What'd you do?" Jericho asked.

"She's drunk," Oswald said. "I just made her lose her equilibrium and pass out."

"So, does that mean I get you instead?" Jericho asked hopefully.

"No," Oswald said. "This means we're all going to sleep."

Jericho sighed but nodded and headed to her room, Oswald going with her, since Derieri, even drunk, tended to hit things in her sleep.

* * *

Oswald caught Elizabeth as she collapsed, passing her to Meliodas instantly. They were on their way to Camelot, passing through a ruin known as Corand, where Melascula was residing, feeding off of the souls of humans who were massacred there centuries ago. No one had actually said as much, but Oswald knew that's what she was doing. It's the only way she could be alive after having all of her hearts destroyed. And it was going to make her very powerful. However, all of a sudden, Elizabeth had begun to go out of control. The morning before they left, she had healed Merlin of a curse placed on her by Zeldris, which placed her into a deep sleep. After that, everything seemed fine until she healed Elaine again, then she began to thrash about, shouting that she had to tell Meliodas that someone named Barzard was bitten by a werefox. Then when Merlin tried to get through to her, Elizabeth had recognized Merlin from Belialuin. Then, a Triskelion appeared in both of her eyes before she had passed out.

Meliodas quickly carried Elizabeth upstairs, laying her in her bed before kneeling beside her, remaining silent.

"What happened to her?" King asked.

"I don't know," Diane said. "Merlin, Oswald, do wither of you know?"

"This is probably the effect of Zeldris's magic from when she freed me from his curse," Merlin lied.

"Then, does that mean that the curse has passed on to her?" Diane asked.

"No," Meliodas said. "Elizabeth's memory has started to return."

"Her...memory?" Diane asked. "you mean her past lives!? That's incredible!"

"It's not," Oswald said, understanding perfectly what this meant. "This is the absolute worst case scenario."

"What?" Diane asked. "Why?"

"Because once her memories return...Elizabeth will die in three days," Meliodas said, fighting to hold back tears.

"Die?" Diane asked. "What? You're...joking around again...right Captain?"

"That is our destiny," Meliodas said. "There's no longer any need to keep quiet about it. I'll tell you everything...about the true purpose of my three thousand year journey."

Oswald stood, turning and walking out of the room. He couldn't hear the story. He knew it already, but if he heard it, he'd break. The story was too sad. Meliodas, who fell in love with the daughter of the Supreme Deity, and Elizabeth, who fell in love with the son of the Demon King, fought their parents in order to protect each other, and were killed. Meliodas was returned to life, because his curse was immortality, at the cost of any deaths resulting in his emotions being consumed by the Demon King for power, ultimately leading him to become the heartless demon he once had been before Elizabeth. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was reincarnated, with no memory, as a human of the savage tribe. When they met, they inevitably fell in love again, and Meliodas told her everything. And then her memories returned, proven by a Triskelion in both eyes. And then, three days later, she died. Before that, she had told him about her curse, and his own. Then, he had vowed to find a way to break them, no matter what it took. And then the cycle began.

Oswald sighed, leaning on the small wall around the top of the bar. After a few minutes, Jericho and Derieri both joined him.

"That's...seriously messed up," Derieri said after a few minutes of silence. "I don't know if I could handle it."

"I couldn't," Oswald said. "I'd have given my emotions to the Demon King if I were in Meliodas's shoes. Or wiped my own emotions like Gowther."

"I finally understand why Meliodas is the way he is," Jericho said. "He's so afraid of losing Elizabeth again that he'd do anything to protect her. Even kill a friend."

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "He's...justified."

"It's getting late," Jericho said. "We should head to bed."

Oswald nodded and they all walked to the room they were sharing. It wasn't perfect, and both girls were a little unhappy about having to share a bed between the three of them, but they didn't complain. They all climbed in, both wrapping their arms around him and he wrapped one around each of them before closing his eyes and failing to fall asleep, lying awake and listening to their steady breathing until morning.

* * *

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	24. Chapter 24

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Corand

Oswald watched as the ruin grew closer. He could sense Melascula from the mile or so between them. They had stopped by the village where they had found Gowther on the way, killing an Ochre and Copper demon and saving the child that wanted to be Meliodas. Then, they had continued on to Corand. During the trip, Meliodas had only left Elizabeth's side to use the bathroom and to change back into his armor a few moments ago. Any meals he had picked at, Diane had brought to him.

"Are we ready for this?" Jericho asked.

"Is there anything about Melascula we should know before we get there, Derieri?" Oswald asked.

"I don't know," Derieri said. "Aside from Monspeet, I didn't really take any time getting to know any of the others."

Oswald nodded. "Where's Monspeet been anyway?"

"He's flying along behind us," Derieri said, gesturing to where Monspeet was tailing them at a distance.

"Are we sure he can be trusted?" Ban asked.

"He's in love with Derieri," Oswald said. "So he won't try anything that would make her angry."

"Even to kill you?" Jericho asked.

Oswald remained silent, turning back to Corand. "Melascula knows we're here."

"Good," Derieri said. "Then we don't need to worry about sneaking in."

"Alright everyone, let's get in there and dispel the magical distortion so we can enter Camelot," Meliodas said. He turned to head inside, only for Oswald to catch his shoulder. "What?"

"It's a trap," Oswald said, staring at the figure that had stepped into view on the opposite end of the bridge.

"Why is he here!?" Merlin gaped.

"We have to assume Estarossa is here as well," Oswald said. "If that's true, leave him to me."

"I will help you," Gowther said.

"Alright," Oswald nodded. "Escanor, you're welcome to come too, since you don't hate anything when you're fighting."

Escanor nodded. "Alright."

"And Zeldris?" Merlin asked.

"I'll deal with him," Meliodas said.

"Are you here for Elizabeth's sake?" Zeldris asked. "If that's true, that can only mean she's still alive. What a truly resilient woman."

Meliodas leapt off of Hawk's Mom instantly, reaching back for his sword.

"Captain!" King shouted.

"Damn him!" Oswald snarled, drawing his own sword. "He's not thinking."

Meliodas slashed as he reached Zeldris, resulting in an enormous explosion, sending debris flying at Camelot, only for it to hit an invisible barrier.

"What was that?" King asked.

"The dimensional distortion," Oswald said. "A type of barrier that keeps everything out. You know, unless you're so ridiculously strong that you can just break it."

Before them, Zeldris's bisected body grew blurry before being left as an ancient skeleton. Then, tendrils of darkness shot out of the ground around Meliodas, streaking down at him as Melascula's power spiked. The darkness swallowed Meliodas as they all shot forward, however, before they could reach him, he shot forward, the sphere of darkness sinking into the ground. Ban swore.

"They kidnapped the captain!" Ban snarled.

"There is no need to worry," Gowther said. "He was not taken far. He's in the center of the city."

"Good," Oswald said, walking into the city with the others. "Then we know where to find Melascula."

They stopped as they saw the field of skeletons. A thousand of them, by Gowther's estimation. Then, as soon as they saw them, the skeletons began to stand.

"Is this kind of like my golems?" Diane asked.

"It's Melascula's power," Oswald said. "The same that revived Elaine. Be careful. If any of you lose faith for even a moment, in anything, your eyes will burn out of your skull." He glanced at Jericho and Derieri, but both glared at him.

"We're not going anywhere," Jericho said.

"We're with you all the way," Derieri said.

Oswald nodded, turning back to the skeletons just as one of them drilled a punch into Ban, only for his head not to budge an inch. Then, he backhanded it, smashing its skull.

"Do they seriously think they can slow us down with this trash?" Ban asked.

"Most likely," Oswald said. "However, this isn't a problem. Me, Jericho, and Derieri will handle them. You guys head inside."

The others nodded and began to smash their way through toward the center of the city. Oswald and the others turned, beginning to slaughter the skeletons as they swarmed them. Oswald didn't both using Holy Magic, since they were just skeletons, and together they rapidly slaughtered them. Then, a skeleton caught his sword, its finger bones growing into claws as it began to transform, spikes growing out of the top of its head in a row heading front to back, and it grew more solid. Oswald yanked his sword out of its grip and it sparked against the skeleton.

"I'm going to end up needing to sharpen my sword," Oswald sighed. "Fuck it."

Then, he continued to slaughter the skeletons, having to put in more effort to break them now. However, his Holy Magic was useless against them, as they were human skeletons, even if enhanced by a demon. Finally, he flipped out of the way of one of the skeletons' claws and slashed, a wave of black flames washing out of his sword's arc, engulfing dozens of the skeletons and burning them away in seconds. Suddenly, Oswald felt Escanor's power spike as his glasses came off and he sensed skeletons being destroyed deeper in just as Derieri spun, a pair of darkness hands obliterating the last of the skeletons around them.

"Let's go!" Derieri said, Oswald and Jericho nodding, sprinting through the city, reaching the others just as energy began to explode off of the last skeleton.

"Is she seriously trying to give some random skeleton all of Meliodas's negative energy and power?" Oswald scoffed.

"So it would seem," Merlin smiled.

"She's seriously underestimating the Captain," King said just as the skeleton, which had been growing to rival Diane in size, exploded apart.

Oswald smirked just before feeling the faintest tickle in the back of his mind. "Shit! Everyone focus your thoughts on positive things! It's trying to take hold!"

"Guys?" Diane's voice asked, everyone turning to her, seeing blood running from her eyes like tears and her eyes bloodshot. "Can I kill them?"

"Shit!" Oswald growled. "Fine. Sorry Diane. This might sting a bit. Arc!"

A shining white sphere appeared around her, the light intensifying before fading, Diane falling to her knees. However, Oswald sighed heavily.

"Dammit," Oswald sighed. "I don't have enough power."

"What?" King asked just as Diane stood, beginning to spin Gideon, her power skyrocketing rapidly. "Diane, don't let them control you!"

"King, move!" Oswald shouted, yanking him backward just as Gowther reported her power level having risen to forty eight thousand.

Her foot flashed up but Oswald flipped out of the way. Gideon flashed down around at him and he avoided that too, Diane shouting in annoyance and striking at him again and again. Finally, he held out both hands, forming a shining Heaven's Shield, her hammer crashing into it and halting, only for her foot to flash up, exploding into his side, launching him. Derieri caught him, snarling in rage and moving to attack, only for Oswald to catch her hand, his bones snapping and popping as they reset themselves, light particles seeping into his skin to heal him.

"Don't," Oswald said.

Just then, Gowther sent a beam of energy to her head, the beam holding for several moments before Diane's body began to move again, slamming Gideon into him and hurling him. Oswald exploded off of the ground as Escanor moved to deal with her, only for Oswald to tackle her to the ground.

"Enough!" Oswald shouted. "Elizabeth's condition isn't your fault! It's a curse! You didn't cause it! Look around Diane! We're all here for you! _King_ is here for you! You have to stop letting them control you!"

Suddenly, Gideon swung around at him, only for him to leap backward, avoiding it as Diane stood.

"We'll kill you all," Diane said.

"It's alright," Elizabeth said, walking toward them from behind. "You can rest easy now. Let There Be Light."

A spiraling beam of light and feathers shot off of her and slammed into Diane from behind, darkness shooting out of her front and fading into the air, leaving Diane to fall to he knees, tears flooding down her face, washing off the blood.

"Why did you come out here, for someone like me?" Diane asked.

"Because you're my friend," Elizabeth smiled.

Then, she raised her hand and a blinding light flooded outward from it, completely healing them all, even restoring whatever energy Oswald had expended killing the skeletons and healing himself from Diane's kick.

"Is it over?" King asked.

"Yeah," Oswald said. "It's over. Welcome back, your highness."

"I've told you not to call me that," Elizabeth smiled, before her eyes moved to Derieri. "Derieri. I'm truly sorry for what happened to your sister. I truly didn't know what was happening."

"It's alright," Derieri said. "Oswald explained everything."

Elizabeth smiled as Derieri slipped her hand into his. As Elizabeth walked past him, Jericho walked over, hugging him, Oswald wrapping his free arm around her.

"Which Elizabeth are you right now?" Elaine asked.

"I'm Elizabeth the Goddess, but I'm also Elizabeth the princess of Liones Kingdom," Elizabeth said. "Merlin, where is Meliodas right now?"

"Merlin?" Gowther asked. "The princess just asked you a question."

"I could hardly recognize you," Elizabeth smiled. "I can't believe you've gotten so beautiful. You really have become a full crown woman."

"Y...Yes," Merlin said.

"What's happening?" Diane asked. "Merlin's acting kind of strange."

"I don't suppose, you could call me Big Sis Sis like you used to back then?" Elizabeth smiled, Merlin's eyes going wide with shock and panic.

Oswald snorted, covering his mouth. "No freaking way!"

"You used to look up to me as if I were your real big sister, didn't you?" Elizabeth asked.

"W...When was that?" Merlin asked, not looking at Elizabeth, trying to fight a blush.

"You were around twelve or thirteen years old," Elizabeth said. "Don't you remember?"

"Princess Elizabeth," Escanor said from behind Elizabeth. "If you wouldn't mind, I would love to hear more about that story."

"That's none of your business!" Merlin snapped.

"Company," Oswald said, walking to the front of their group, sword blade shining as he stared at Melascula, who was floating before them, nude, devoid of darkness, and with her cheeks split open into a single, massive mouth. "Melascula of Faith."

"The Nephilim," Melascula spat, eyes turning to Elizabeth. "The one who stole Meliodas's heart, manipulated him, and made him betray us, and who dealt the fatal blow to the Demon Clan...the loathsome Goddess Elizabeth. And those audacious enough to resist us, the Seven Deadly Sins. And what's this?" her eyes found Elaine. "The little half-dead fairy girl I gave temporary life to has even come along." Then, her eyes found Derieri and her snide smile vanished, disgust and hatred filling her features instantly. "Oh. You. The Nephilim's little whores. I should have known you'd be here. Where's your manservant Monspeet?"

"I am here," Monspeet said, landing off to the side.

"The gang's all here then," Melascula hissed. "I, Melascula of Faith," she began to swell, "in place of the Demon King," her upper body continued to bulge and swell as her legs fused and grew longer rapidly, "Will judge thee for thy sins!" Her transformation finished, leaving a gigantic hooded cobra. "It's not very charming, so I usually try to avoid having to take this form."

"Hah!" Ban smirked. "It's a hell of a lot better than how you looked before."

Melascula shrieked, lunging at Ban, only for Oswald to appear in front of her, his shining fist, which was the size of his entire body, exploding into the side of her head, launching her away before the light faded, leaving a hand of darkness, which shrank back into his sleeve.

"What...you can combine your magics!?" Derieri gaped.

"You've finally mastered your power," Elizabeth smiled from inside the Perfect Cube Merlin had used to protect her, Gowther, and Jericho, no one else being close enough, not that it mattered.

"Melascula, I'm going to finish you now," Oswald said. "I won't let Ban have killing Elaine on his conscience. I'll deal with you personally." Then, his hand snapped up, catching Monspeet's fist. "That was a really stupid idea."

He spun, hurling Monspeet, who exploded into the ground, bringing three buildings down before he exploded out of it again. behind Oswald, Melascula grabbed Ban, Ban holding her jaws open.

"Ban, you'll have to keep her busy for a bit," Oswald said. "I'm going to go and remove this thorn in my side."

"You do what you gotta do!" Ban grunted as Melascula thrashed around, trying to shake his grip loose.

Oswald floated down and landed in front of Monspeet, his black wings folding up behind him, and Derieri landed beside him a moment later.

"What the hell are you doing Monspeet!?" Derieri demanded.

"I'm sorry, Derieri," Monspeet said. "But I've stayed my hand as long as I can. I'm through watching this thing corrupt you."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Oswald asked.

"There are many things I know that others do not," Monspeet said. "For example, we among the Ten commandments are uniquely in a position to receive power beyond what should be natural."

"How's that?" Oswald asked.

"We have something that exceeds six of our hearts in power," Monspeet said, placing his palms together.

"You're bluffing," Oswald said. "That's not possible."

"Oh Great Demon King," Monspeet said. "Grant me this request. I offer you my Commandment, as I have failed to do my duty. In exchange, grant me that power which was stolen from me once. Grant me the power to erase the Nephilim."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, darkness exploded up from around Monspeet, bits of the ground breaking apart and flying away. Then, the darkness faded, leaving Monspeet in a different form. He had darkness coating the sides of his torso, and five long, waving darkness tendrils from each shoulder, each ending in a hand. His hair had been covered by darkness as well and stood up in spikes, and his legs had turned to bend forward, darkness forming two-toed feet below him, adding a few inches.

"Oh shit!" Oswald swore. "He's an Indura again!?"

"That's impossible!" Derieri gaped. "No! Why!? Why would you do this!? Monspeet!"

He shrieked, streaking forward, all ten fists flashing out at Oswald, only for him to vanish, reappearing behind Monspeet, setting Derieri on her feet.

"Leave this to me," Oswald said. "I'll handle him. Merlin!"

A perfect cube formed around himself and Monspeet, then expanded, forcing Derieri to move back. Then, Oswald and Monspeet were off. Monspeet struck with blinding speed and ferocious power, but Oswald was able to slip out of the way of the strikes, allowing them to pass before slashing the arms, removing them. However, as he did, Monspeet simply grew them back, continuing his assault. Oswald began to lose ground, eventually reaching the wall of the Perfect Cube. Monspeet shrieked and sent all ten arms at him and Oswald dropped, the arms hitting the Perfect Cube. Instantly, Monspeet's entire upper body exploded into paste, his lower body crashing to the ground. Oswald sighed, landing lightly only to spin, raising his sword to defend himself. Monspeet's fist, formed entirely from darkness, exploded through Oswald's sword instantly and shattered the front of his armor, sending him exploding into the Perfect Cube, Oswald's wings, back armor, and spine all being shattered. Oswald dropped to the ground, light particles flooding into his skin, but it wasn't fast enough. Monspeet was already fully healed and walking toward him.

"Merlin, drop the cube!" Derieri shouted.

The cube vanished and Derieri's fist exploded into Monspeet's back, making him stagger forward a step. Then, she began to pummel him. However, as soon as she reached forty, five of Monspeet's fists exploded into her abdomen, hurling her backward, blood spraying out of her mouth. Then, Jericho reached them, removing his arms, the ends freezing solid, then slashed him across the chest. Ice formed over him, only for all of it to shatter as Monspeet spun, foot flashing around at Jericho. Jericho's eyes widened, but Derieri's darkness-encased fist crashed into Monspeet's foot, her arm exploding into paste, but stopping the kick, Derieri ramming her shoulder into Jericho, tackling her out of the way as Monspeet's ten arms flashed through the space they had occupied a moment earlier. Then, Oswald was up, spinning and punching, kicking, and slamming his wings into Monspeet rapidly, shining white energy encasing his body, blood flying from Monspeet's mouth with every strike. However, after a moment, Monspeet's fists exploded down on Oswald before beginning to pummel him. Jericho and Derieri both charged, Derieri punching Monspeet at the same time as Jericho's blade slammed into him, but he barely rocked back a stop, fists not even slowing.

"Divine Mirror," Oswald said, blood flying out of Monspeet's mouth suddenly as the ground below them shone.

Then, Oswald's wings hurled him into the air, his bow appearing in front of him. He caught it in his mouth and it shone, a string of rapid snaps and cracks going off, Oswald screaming in agony for a long moment before reaching up and taking the bow in his hand, separating it into its two blades.

"Let's try this again," Oswald snarled, streaking forward.

Monspeet roared, arms flashing out at him, but this time he flipped and spun between them, shredding the arms as he passed. Monspeet roared, two new arms bursting from his chest and catching Oswald before slamming him to the ground, his other arms regrowing. Then, Derieri's fist exploded into his face, sending him exploding backward along the ground, leaving a massive trench. Behind them, Jericho grit her teeth, using her sword to stand, her left leg mangled and ruined.

"What the hell did you do?" Oswald snarled.

"Two hundred flicks," Derieri said. "I'll accept repayment later."

She exploded forward, Monspeet moving to avoid her, only for Oswald to grab his feet, swinging him down into Derieri's fist. His torso exploded and he crashed to the ground before she punted him, sending him exploding into the cliff face of the opposite side of the massive chasm around Corand. Oswald leapt into the air, drawing his bow back and releasing the arrow. It flashed the air and drilled through Monspeet's left thigh as he moved to avoid it. Then, Derieri drilled another punch into his head, blasting him back into the cliff again. This time, however, he grabbed her arm as he flew backward and swung her around, slamming her into the cliff with him, resetting her combo. He roared, pulling his other eight fists back, only for Oswald's feet to explode into his side, slamming him into the cliff, causing it to shatter. Oswald grabbed Derieri and shot out of the way of the debris, which fell on Monspeet. Then, he exploded up from the rubble, roaring again as Oswald's right blade began to shine and the left lit with Purgatory Flames.

"Just die!" Oswald shouted, streaking toward him.

Monspeet roared, streaking forward and throwing a flurry of punches at Oswald, the ends of his arms sailing away as Oswald removed them, only for him to drive the stumps at him instead. Still Oswald pressed on. Then, finally, he reached Monspeet, both blades tearing through Monspeet rapidly, blood flying in every direction before Oswald spun, foot shining before it exploded into him, sending him exploding along the ground. Oswald's eyes narrowed as he watched the dust cloud. However, instead of attacking from there, Monspeet exploded out of the wall of the cliff, streaking across the distance back to Corand before smashing both into the ground. Oswald's wings tore free and both of his shoulders, along with his skull broke. However, thanks to having shielded himself with his darkness, he fared better than Derieri. She was left a bleeding heap on the ground.

Monspeet roared, rearing back as darkness spread over the top of his face, forming six white eyes before his teeth sharpened. Then, he stopped, looking down as Oswald rested his hand against Monspeet's chest.

"Just die already," Oswald snarled.

He sent a pulse of compressed Holy Magic out through his palm and Monspeet's back exploded in a geyser of blood and darkness, his body flying away from them. Oswald pushed himself up slowly, light flooding into the darkness that covered him and shone white, rapidly healing his body before he held his hands out, the two blades from his bow streaking back to them, retaking their awakened forms. Monspeet roared, pushing itself up and streaking toward him again. This time, however, Oswald extended his right blade.

"Arc."

The barrier appeared around Monspeet, trapping him before beginning to shine. Monspeet roared, lashing out at the barrier, beginning to crack it, but after several moments, he fell silent. Then, just as the barrier faded, Oswald shot past, blades slashing like a pair of scissors and bisecting Monspeet across his last heart. He collapsed tot he ground and Oswald walked over to Derieri, kneeling and resting his hand on her shoulder, his darkness spreading to cover her entire body before shining as it began to take in light particles, using them to heal her. Once he was finished, Derieri moaned miserably and stirred, staring up at him for a moment before looking over at Monspeet's body.

"Dammit Monspeet, why couldn't you just listen?" Derieri mumbled as Oswald walked over to Jericho, carefully lifting her and carrying her back toward Elizabeth.

To his right, in the ruined remains of the building at the center of the city, Escanor was being beaten bloody by Meliodas. However, in a few seconds, it would be noon, allowing Escanor to utilize his full power for exactly one minute. Oswald had sensed Meliodas be taken over by his darkness and begin to fight Escanor, but he had more pressing concerns. And besides that, he was far too weak to stand against Meliodas for longer than the amount of time it took to blink.

Oswald set Jericho at Elizabeth's feet and Elizabeth held out a hand, eyes not leaving the Perfect Cube Meliodas and Escanor were fighting in. Light shone from Elizabeth's hand, healing both Oswald and Jericho completely and painlessly before fading. Then, noon arrived. Oswald stood, turning to the Perfect Cube as Escanor stood, flames and light dancing along his skin. Meliodas shot forward, slashing Escanor rapidly, but the blade didn't even break his skin. Then, Escanor turned and slashed Meliodas across the chest with his fingers like a blade and Meliodas's chest sprayed blood as though an actual blade had cut him. He flew backward and crashed to the ground, struggling to stand only to lose consciousness.

Merlin released the Perfect Cube as Escanor's one minute of invincibility passed and Oswald flew over, picking up Meliodas and flying back to the others. Escanor walked back to them on his own with Rhitta, and once he had joined them, they turned and walked back to the bar, Merlin floating Meliodas along beside her, Oswald holding his blades ready, waiting for Meliodas to wake up.

"Escanor's the strongest!" Diane cheered. "He can handle anything!"

"What!?" Escanor demanded.

"What?" Diane asked, backing away slightly. "Did I say something weird?"

"N-Not at all," Escanor stammered. "I was just surprised because you said something so foolish."

"You're the one who's being foolish!" Merlin snapped, hovering in front of him, practically having steam curling out of her ears. "Stop trying to act tough."

"What are you talking about?" Escanor asked.

Merlin's eyes narrowed dangerously and she punched him lightly in the chest. For a moment, Escanor did nothing. Then, he pitched forward, Oswald appearing under him and grunting as he caught him and Rhitta.

"Sunshine truly is an amazing thing if it lets him lift this goddamned axe," Oswald grunted, beginning to walk again, Escanor's legs dragging from the knees down and Rhitta barely being off the ground.

Once they had reached the bar, Oswald dropped Rhitta on the floor and carefully set Escanor on one of the tables, Merlin laying Meliodas on another. Oswald sighed, wiping some sweat from his forehead, and swept his eyes over Escanor.

"You really went overboard," Oswald sighed.

He glanced at Merlin who was explaining the situation to the others. Escanor was down for the count. Meliodas was due to wake at any moment. As if on cue, Meliodas sat bolt upright, only for Merlin to blast him, launching him across the room and preparing to trap him in a Perfect Cube, only for Elizabeth to wrap her arms around him.

"Elizabeth, move away from there," Merlin said. "I'm going to encase Meliodas in my Perfect Cube."

"That won't solve anything!" Elizabeth argued.

"There's no time!" Merlin snapped. "If we leave him as is...The power of darkness is mending his wounds."

"Merlin, please," Elizabeth pleaded.

"No!" Merlin snapped. "We need to isolate him immediately!"

"Then lock him in together with him!" Elizabeth said.

Everyone shouted in surprise and argument, even Derieri. Everyone except Oswald.

"Do it, Merlin," Oswald said. "He won't hurt her. And whatever's left of his mind, she can keep from slipping away."

Merlin hesitated for another moment before nodding. "Fine." She placed the barrier around them, then floated over to it. "However, I will be staying by your side to keep watch, just in case the worst should happen."

"But, now it's not just the Captain and Escanor, but also Merlin and Elizabeth will be away from the front lines," King said. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"We rescues Camelot, and everyone in it," Oswald said, turning to Escanor and spreading darkness over his body, beginning to heal him, the light particles also recharging Sunshine slightly. "I can get Escanor up and about again, but he won't be in any position to help us fight for days. At least three."

"It will take us three to reach Camelot," Merlin said.

Oswald nodded. "Then we have time for the rest of us to recover. And to find out if he'll be contained by that Perfect Cube."

Merlin nodded. "He shouldn't be able to escape."

"And what happens if he uses Full Counter on it?" Oswald asked.

Merlin paused, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully. "I'm not sure."

"I suggest you don't let him," Oswald said, walking outside, Jericho and Derieri following. "Derieri, I owe you an apology."

"No you don't," Derieri said. "Monspeet tried to kill you, and went so far as to become an Indura a second time to do it. He brought it on himself."

"Even still, he was important to you," Oswald said. "I'm sorry."

Derieri shook her head and reached up, kissing him. "It's alright. I will never blame you."

Oswald nodded and sighed, looking toward Camelot. "So, how should se spend our free time?"

"I'm going to go to sleep for most of it," Jericho said.

"I think I'm going to do the same," Derieri said. "You should see if Merlin can fix your armor."

"I will," Oswald nodded. "Good night. I'll be in in a little while."

Both nodded and took turns kissing him goodnight before heading inside. He turned back toward Camelot and sighed heavily. It was going to be a hell of a long battle. He just hoped they'd be able to end it and find a way to save Elizabeth and Meliodas before the inevitable happened. After a while longer, he sighed, heading inside and up to his room, smiling to himself when he found Derieri and Jericho had, at some point, ended up holding each other. He smiled, shaking his head and changed into a pair of clean pants before climbing into bed with them, lying behind Derieri and wrapping his arms around them both, pulling them closer, Derieri smiling back against him and happily pressing into him.

"I think I'm wearing her down," Derieri whispered.

"Tell you what, when you convince her to willingly kiss you, you let me know," Oswald smiled. "I'll know that I don't have to worry about you two tearing each other's throats out anymore."

Derieri smiled, turning to him just enough to kiss him, only for Jericho to pull her back in her sleep, mumbling about being cold. Both smiled, Oswald reaching over and placing a kiss on Jericho's forehead before laying down, both drifting off to sleep.

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	25. Chapter 25

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Chandler

Oswald yawned, stretching his arms over his head and leaning on the railing between Jericho and Derieri. They had only slept a few hours, before waking up. Oswald had had Merlin use magic to fix his armor, then had grabbed a bottle of liquor, sipping at it as he watched the horizon.

"How long do you expect until the next attack?" Derieri asked, taking the bottle and taking a sip.

"Probably tomorrow," Oswald said, adjusting his left gauntlet. "Maybe a little sooner."

"I hope longer," Jericho said, taking a drink as well. "I hope Zeldris is a pushover and we finish the war by tomorrow."

"Well, you better not get your hopes up too high," Oswald chuckled, reaching for the bottle only to stop as his skin began to burn, his pleasant smile fading into an emotionless mask as he let his hand drop.

"What's wrong?" Jericho asked.

"So it's come to this, has it?" Oswald muttered before sighing heavily. "Derieri, take Jericho and head back to Liones."

"What?" Derieri asked. "Why?"

"Because I said so," Oswald said. "Just go."

Derieri glanced at him for a moment before nodding, forming herself a pair of wings and picking up Jericho, taking off and heading back the way they had come. Not ten seconds later, the sky turned black, stars shining down on them. Oswald swallowed hard, spreading his wings and rising up to where Diane and the others were on top of the building.

"Diane, get down, now," Oswald said, Diane complying instantly, Gowther and King following suit.

As they got off the bar, Oswald flew to the door and walked in just as a fat elderly demon swung his staff between himself and Merlin. A moment later, she vanished, her clothes falling to the ground.

"Chandler," Oswald snarled, the elderly demon turning to him and grinning wickedly, his pointed teeth perfecting the horrifying image.

"The Nephilim," Chandler said. "I'm surprise no one's killed you yet. I wonder if you've become strong in the time we've been sealed."

Oswald gripped the handles of his bow's blades tightly, swallowing hard. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"

Chandler laughed. "We don't have to. If you simply give me the young master-"

"Elizabeth, take Meliodas and run," Oswald said.

Elizabeth stood instantly, but Chandler appeared in front of her. As he raised his staff, Oswald's foot exploded into his side, sending him exploding out through the wall of the bar. A moment later, Diane's hand reached in and picked up Elizabeth and Meliodas before retracting. Oswald followed Chandler outside and began to hover between Chandler and Hawk's Mom, the others all moving to join him.

"Who is this guy?" Diane asked.

"He's the highest ranked demon besides the Demon King himself," Oswald said. "Chandler. He's Meliodas's former master, and the one who taught him Full Counter."

"His master!?" Diane and King gaped.

"Yes," Gowther nodded. "He's more powerful than us."

"So, that would make you the Seven Deadly Sins," Chandler said. "Interesting. The Demon King has been wracking his brain trying to figure out how to deal with you. But to be honest, I'm not interested in all of that. In other words, we're extremely lucky. If you hand over the Young Master Meliodas and the criminal Elizabeth peacefully, then I'll be willing to let you all go. What do you say?"

"We refuse!" they all said, preparing themselves to fight.

"Both the Captain and Elizabeth are our irreplaceable comrades!" Diane said. "We'll never hand them over!"

"Microscopic," Chandler said, waving his hand before snapping, just as a blinding white light shone from Diane, nothing else happening. "What's this?"

"It's me," Oswald said. "You wanted to know if I've become stronger since you were sealed? Well, stay right there and I'll show you!"

He exploded forward, both blades beginning to shine as he slashed them at Chandler, only for Chandler to knock his blades both aside, then slam a kick into Oswald, sending him rocketing backward, Diane catching him.

"Oh fragments of the children of the stars, rain down upon these fools and crush them," Chandler said, hands held out to the sides and gaze directed up at the stars. "Bloom your giant flowers against this darkened land."

The ground began to shake instantly and Oswald's head snapped up as tiny specks of light began to grow larger rapidly, the shaking growing more violent in response.

"What should we do?" Diane asked.

"Don't get crushed," Oswald said as the meteors began to grow close.

"Scraps Captain," Gowther said. "I need your wings."

"Meteor Works!" Chandler shouted amidst his maniacal cackling.

Oswald, Gowther, and King all flew high into the air as the meteors began to explode into the ground. Oswald stopped first, holding his bow over his head before Gowther reached him, forming his Harlit around Oswald's bow, then extending it outward into a gigantic bow. Then, Hawk flew him backward as Gowther brought the string with him, King placing Chastiefol's awakened form on the bow like an arrow. As soon as he did, Oswald focused, the energy Gowther was using to form his bow bleaching pure white before the glowing gold aura around King's spear did the same. Instantly, Chandler spun, staring at them, mouth agape.

"I never thought I'd be combining my powers together with you," King said. "But I'd say this will do quite well."

"Final touch," Oswald said, the glowing white aura combining with his Purgatory flames, pure white flames roaring to life along the spear. "On your mark Gowther."

"Right," Gowther nodded. "King, don't fire without my command."

King nodded. Suddenly, Chandler pulled his staff back, swiping it just as Gowther gave the signal. Then, King swung his arm as Gowther released the string. Chandler's staff missed the spear by a mile. Then, it impacted directly with the center of his chest, blood exploding out of his back as it impaled him, blood spraying out of his mouth and sending him flying away, past the horizon, before the arrow exploded.

Oswald lowered and separated his bow, watching the horizon in silence, Chastiefol reforming beside King as they all remained silent.

"Did we get him?" King asked.

"Yes," Oswald nodded. "But not fatally."

A moment later, hundreds of Red and Grey Demons rose from the horizon, flying toward them rapidly.

"All of their fodder demons are beginning to gather!" Hawk panicked. "What do we do?"

"You worry too much," King said, his pillow beginning to break down into his smaller blades.

"Stop," Oswald said, setting a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" King asked.

Oswald pulled his bow back, firing a very, _very_ weak arrow at the demons. Sure enough, it passed through them, then shot back, bigger than their attack. Oswald leaned out of the way, the arrow flashing past him and exploding in the distance.

"Told you," Oswald said as the demons began to fade, revealing Chandler, a gaping, bloody hole in his torso and blood flooding down his chin.

"You fucking vermin!" Chandler snarled. "You just made a huge mistake. You made me mad." He extended his right hand, an eye-shaped symbol on his palm as a glowing mark appeared on King's chest. "Absolute Order! With this dark contract, you'll be unable to refuse a single order from me, the highest ranked of all demons. Kill the Nephilim!"

King's body began to shake, even as his pillow transformed into its swarm of blades. However, as they moved to attack Oswald, he appeared in front of King, placing his hand on King's chest.

"Purification," Oswald said, the mark shining and fading, King's blades all freezing instantly, one of them resting against the back of Oswald's neck just below his skull.

"Thanks," King said.

Just then, Chandler landed in front of Elizabeth, Gowther hovering off to the side with a seal on his chest as well. Oswald flew over to him, resting a hand on it.

"Purification," Oswald said, only for nothing to happen. "Shit. He adjusted fast."

"He ordered me to stay out of his way," Gowther said.

"Gowther, you're an archer," Oswald said. "You can attach without getting in his way easily."

"The command is all-encompassing," Gowther said. "I can do nothing that would interfere."

Oswald nodded, looking down just as a massive construct made of scales and three massive bone spikes formed from the end of his staff, the three bone spikes clicking together and stabbing downward at Elizabeth. Oswald dropped to the ground in time to slash both blades, the pair exploding into the spike in a massive collision. The spikes shot backward only for Oswald's blades to both fall to the ground halfway down.

"Damn," Oswald sighed as the spikes dropped toward him and Elizabeth again.

"Heavy Metal!" Diane shouted, using her hands to shield them both. "I'll protect you and the Captain no matter what!"

"The giant technique to turn their bodies into minerals," Chandler said. "That takes me back. This is how I used to deal with it." His face split into a wicked, pointed-toothed grin. "Crimson Requiem!"

Waves of heat began to explode off of his hand, melting the ground below him before he swung his staff, sending a wave of lava and flames at them. However, before it could hit, a beam of magic latched onto Elizabeth and Meliodas, yanking them out of the way as Oswald grabbed his broken blades and shot upward, he and King each grabbing one of Diane's arms and bringing her with them.

"Everywhere I look there's someone getting in the way," Chandler said. "First a filthy Nephilim, then a giant, then a fairy. What's next?"

"A human," Ban said, Elizabeth and Meliodas held under his arms. "Got a problem with that?"

Chandler grimaced. "It's like Stigma all over again." He doubled over suddenly, more blood gushing from his wound as he gagged, then vomited blood, coughing up still more. "Damn that Nephilim's infuriating Holy Magic. I could be healed by now if it wasn't for that."

"No matter what you think, and no matter what you do, the Captain and us were all brought together as comrades of fate," King said. "We will never allow you to take him."

"Comrades of fate?" Chandler snarled, standing up straight again. "Nonsense. You and that filthy Goddess Elizabeth...should all be wiped from existence!"

He swung his staff, a crescent-shaped blade of energy flying out of it at them, only to explode as it impacted with one of King's blades. Then, another shot past it at Chandler, only for him to reflect it. As soon as he did, another blocked that blade's path.

"So, you're even able to block the attacks I reflect back at you with Full Counter," Chandler mused. "Quite skilled."

"I've got some confidence in my ability in a firefight," King said. "We will protect these two no matter what."

Oswald pushed the broken blades back into their scabbards and strapped them in before focusing and forming himself a shortsword made of shining white energy. "Don't get over confident. He may be wounded, but he still vastly overpowers us. And besides that, Gowther can't fight right now."

"Quite confident indeed," Chandler grinned. "In fact, these kinds of firefights where blood boils hot and flesh dances are just my absolute favorite dish of all. Thanks to that doll of Gowther's over there, my magic has been lowered by more than half. And thanks to your pet vermin, I'm not exactly in tip-top shape right now. As such, I'm going to end this right here and now." Then, he swung his staff, a massive barrage of fireballs flooding toward them. "The Young Master's happiness has no need for you!"

King's blades intercepted Chandler's attack as Oswald and Ban shot forward, going around it and Diane leapt over it fully.

"We're the ones that want the Captain to be happy in the first place!" Diane shouted, her foot crashing down on Chandler with all her weight before she moved it, beginning to pummel him. But in order for that to happen, he needs Elizabeth! Just like I need King, and just like Ban needs Elaine, or Gowther needed Nadia, or Oswald needs Jericho and Derieri!"

Suddenly, a glowing sphere of energy appeared around Diane, holding her high in the air, even for her.

"How ridiculous!" Chandler snarled, standing.

Just then, Ban grabbed Chandler in a Full Nelson, trapping his arms. "Do it!"

Oswald exploded forward, the ground behind him breaking apart under the force as his wings turned black and darkness spread over his muscles, doubling his power. Then, he slashed. IN the blink of an eye, Ban's arms had been ripped to shreds and were sailing into the air and Chandler's staff was sticking out of Oswald's back. Oswald coughed, blood splattering over the ground before Chandler turned and hurling him back to King.

"Is that all you've got?" Chandler asked. "Because I'm just getting started!"

Then, he was firing again, King struggling to fend off the attacks. Then, a crescent-shaped energy blade burst out of the smoke from the impacts, flashing past King at Elizabeth. However, before it could reach her, Oswald appeared in front of her, arms out to the sides and the blast slamming into his back, exploding and sending his blood and bits of his wings splattering across the ground, though he managed to shield Elizabeth.

"No!" Elizabeth gasped. "Oswald! Why?"

"You...saved my...life," Oswald said, voice barely a whisper as his arms fell uselessly to his sides. "I...owe...you...every..." He fell, landing on his knees before pitching sideways and crashing to the ground beside her. "Gowther...do...your...thing."

Suddenly, light began to flood off of Elizabeth. As it did, Chandler sent out another blast at King as King formed and hurled Chastiefol's true spear form. However, Chandler's blade hit the ground off to the side, exploding harmlessly, and Chastiefol exploded forward.

"How?" Chandler demanded, then stared at his right hand, where a gash with light particles leaking out of it was carved across the seal. "You bastard!"

Then, Chastiefol crashed into him and exploded.

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	26. Chapter 26

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

True Form

Oswald's eyes slowly creaked open, the sounds of explosions filtering in through his ears, concussions shaking him slightly, helping to rouse him. His eyes opened slowly and he raised his head, watching as Gloxinia and Drole struggled to fight against Chandler. He was much larger now with scaled skin, a heavily muscled appearance, a pair of wings, and black hair with a black beard. Besides them, Oswald was alone. He was healed, as near as he could tell, but he was alone.

"Those fuckers ditched me," Oswald scoffed as he stood, watching Chandler split Drole's arm from fist to elbow with a katana even longer than Drole was tall.

It was a wonder Drole wasn't split in half. Oswald formed himself a pair of wings, lifting into the air and watching the battle. They were doing fairly well, but they were doing little more than delaying Chandler.

"Just try to hold him still," Oswald muttered, forming himself an energy bow and arrow out of Holy Magic, like Gowther's weapon. "Now!"

He released the arrow and it flashed through the air, driving itself through Chandler's chest, just missing his heart, though it made Chandler freeze just long enough for Drole's solid metal fist to explode into him, hurling him away just before Basquias crashed down on him, exploding. Oswald shot over, extending a hand and binding Drole's arm back together with his darkness.

"Why are you still here?" Drole asked.

"Hell if I know," Oswald shrugged. "I guess they forgot me."

"That was my bad, actually," Gloxinia said. "When I threw them all onto the pig, I missed you, but didn't have time to correct that before the fight began."

"Well, looks like we'll all die together then," Oswald said, forming another arrow in his bow. "If you can distract him long enough, I can snipe him."

"Right," Gloxinia nodded.

Then, Chandler was streaking back toward them. The two former kings rapidly began to strike at him with everything they had. Vines, boulders, stone spikes, a giant green hornet, massive pillars of stone. Nothing did more than slow him down. However, just as Chandler was hit by a rising boulder and cratered it, halting his forward movement, Oswald released his arrow, the arrow multiplying as it flew into hundreds. Chandler punched the ground, decimating the pillar he was on, only for the first arrow to drill through his abdomen. His eyes widened and blood sprayed out of his mouth before the rest of the cloud of arrows exploded into him, smashing him to the ground, a bigger and bigger cloud of dust rapidly forming as blood sprayed out of the dust. Finally, the arrows ended and Chandler's sword flashed up at Oswald, barely missing as Oswald spun around the blade. Then, Chandler was off again, filled with holes that were rapidly spewing blood and light particles before darkness filled them, sealing his wounds less than five seconds after leaving the dust cloud.

"Trap him!" Oswald ordered.

"Combined Technique, Ore tree Orudora!" both shouted, stone exploding out of the ground and encasing Chandler.

"We can't hold him long!" Gloxinia warned, the sides of the massive stone tree that had formed already bulging and swelling.

Oswald appeared over it, setting his hands on it and spreading Holy Magic over it, the entire tree suddenly shining blindingly. "Combined Technique, Arc Spear Prison!"

The light suddenly shone blindingly outside and Chandler's shriek of agony suddenly tore through the air as inside the tree he was impaled again and again by spears of Holy Magic, turning the magic running through the false tree to increase their own power, speed, and number. Finally, the tree crumbled and Oswald flapped his wings, shooting backward to Gloxinia and Drole as the tattered remains of Chandler's body hovered before them, blood gushing out of it as darkness flailed around, flashing and dispersing rapidly as it worked to quickly remove all the light from his wounds. However, just as the last of the light was removed, the blood stopped and he dropped, the darkness fading.

"Did we get him?" Drole asked.

"No," Oswald said. "He'll realize that he's failing Meliodas in a moment."

Sure enough, a massive pillar of darkness suddenly exploded off of Chandler, his body bulging and swelling rapidly, like he might explode. Then, his flesh regrew and he stood, roaring, sending out a shockwave of power that hurled all three of his foes away. Oswald swallowed hard, gritting his teeth and tapping into his darkness again, his feathers all turning black as darkness spread over his body again.

"He hasn't been using Full Counter," Drole noted quietly.

"Don't expect that to continue," Oswald said. "He was just trying to bludgeon his way through before. Now, he'll use everything he's got to get through us."

Both nodded just as Chandler appeared in front of them, sword already poised to split all three in half. He slashed and Drole hardened himself into metal as Gloxinia hurled a shining white Basquias at Chandler. Then, the sword flashed past, carving a deep gash into Drole's chest, nicking his heart, before splitting both Gloxinia and Oswald at the waist. Basquias hit Chandler, however, and took his entire left side off, only for darkness to form a new side, the darkness then fading to reveal him completely healed. Then, Chandler jumped, streaking away from them.

"Is anyone...else alive?" Oswald croaked, darkness pulling his lower body back to him before he began to heal himself with light.

"No...for long," Gloxinia breathed.

"We're...goners," Drole agreed.

Oswald finished healing and stood. "You drama queens." He extended tendrils of darkness, reattaching Gloxinia's halves before healing both former kings. Once finished, he sighed. "All better?"

"Yes," Gloxinia nodded, staring at his now nonexistent wound in awe.

"We still don't have our energy back, though," Drole said.

"I know," Oswald nodded. "Stay here and rest, then head back to the Fairy King's Forest. We'll handle things from now on."

Both nodded and Oswald turned, exploding off of the ground after Chandler. As he flew, he sensed Meliodas's power react to Chandler's. He was awake. After several minutes, Oswald reached them, stopping to hover behind Chandler, who spun, murder on his face as he pulled his sword back.

"Chandler," Meliodas said coldly, stopping him.

"B-But Young Master-"

"I will hear no complaints!" Meliodas snapped. "Let's go."

Chandler sighed and nodded, turning and following Meliodas as he flew away with Elizabeth. Oswald landed on Hawk's Mom and turned to the others.

"What'd I miss?" Oswald asked.

"He remembers everything," Merlin said. "And he claims to have a way to save Elizabeth. But..."

"Let me guess," Oswald sighed. "If we follow, we die."

"Yeah," Ban nodded.

"Right," Oswald sighed. "Merlin, I need a forge and an anvil."

Merlin nodded. "I'll make one inside. And I'll repair everyone's armor."

Oswald was about to say something before Derieri and Jericho both landed in front of him, both drilling a fist into his gut before each kissing him.

"Don't you _ever_ pull a stupid stunt like that again!" Jericho snapped.

"Are you out of your fucking mind!?" Derieri demanded. "What the hell made you think you could fight _Chandler_ of all people!?"

"I didn't," Oswald said. "But you two would have survived even if I had died. That was the point. I couldn't lose you."

"Well don't expect us to ever leave you again," Jericho growled.

Oswald smiled and nodded, kissing them both again. "Let's head inside. I'm exhausted and I still have to reforged my weapons."

Derieri smacked him upside the head. "He broke your bow and you kept fighting!?"

"Can we please discuss this where I can sit down?" Oswald asked.

"Fine," Derieri grumbled. "But we're not dropping this."

Oswald nodded and they all walked inside after the others.

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	27. Chapter 27

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

* * *

Together

"Are you sure about this?" Oswald asked as Merlin prepared to send Ban to purgatory for Meliodas's emotions.

"I'm sure," Ban said. "I have to do this. I'm the only one who can. Maybe this is why I was allowed to become immortal all those years ago."

"Maybe," Oswald said, staring at Hawk's eyes, which were apparently a gateway to Purgatory, through which the Demon King had been watching Meliodas's life. "Alright. I'll lend you a hand."

"What?" Ban asked.

"I can't go with you," Oswald said, resting a hand on Ban's shoulder, his hand shining as he transferred some of his magic to Ban. "But I _can_ give you some of my Holy Magic. It won't regenerate, so try not to use it all at once. While you're there, it'll keep you from feeling the pain of your body being destroyed, and it'll guide you toward the Demon King, and by extension Meliodas's emotions. It'll feel like your skin is crawling when you look in the right direction. Just follow that. But be forewarned, blocking your pain and tracking the Demon King will eat away at the magic. Once it's gone, you're on your own, so try not to take too long."

Ban nodded. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Oswald sighed, only to freeze as his entire body locked up, his eyes shooting wide open and his throat closing. After several seconds, Derieri finally noticed and slapped him, forcing his body to unlock.

"What's wrong?" Derieri asked.

"They're...They're back," Oswald said.

"They?" Merlin asked as Derieri's eyes slowly widened before her hands curled into fists.

"The Archangels," Derieri snarled. "Sariel, Tarmiel, and..." her teeth clenched together and her nails bit into her palms, causing blood to drip to the floor. "Ludociel."

Oswald reached out, taking her hands, forcing them to open and turning them over, healing them for her while watching her face, seeing her consciously restrain her hatred and bloodlust.

"What do you want to do?" Oswald asked.

"Me?" Derieri asked. "I'm following you."

"He killed your sister," Oswald said. "I want to tear him apart and feed him to Hawk. But what we do about him is up to you."

Derieri remained silent for a long while before sighing. "We can't kill him. At least, not yet. We have to deal with the Demon Clan first."

Oswald nodded. "Alright. He'll probably try to kill us both soon enough anyway."

"I wish Mael were still alive," Derieri said as she, Oswald, and Jericho walked out of the bar, leaning on the railing.

"I don't," Oswald snorted. "Mael would kill us both."

"Mael was the most reasonable," Derieri said. "He'd keep Ludociel in check, and he could kill the Demon Clan."

Oswald sighed, shrugging. "Maybe. But I'm not so sure. He lost to Estarossa once already."

"Then someone else could deal with Estarossa while Mael killed everyone else," Derieri said.

"Who's Mael?" Jericho asked.

"The most powerful of the Four Archangels," Oswald said. "He was the weilder of Sunshine before Escanor."

Jericho nodded, staring out at the horizon in the direction of Camelot. "We should all rest. We're going to need it."

"Probably," Oswald agreed. "I still have to reforge my swords."

"Later," Derieri said, taking his hand, Jericho taking the other. "Bed now."

Oswald sighed and nodded, walking back inside and up to their room. He kicked his boots off as soon as he was in the room juat in time to hear the door's lock click into place. He arched an eyebrow and turned just in time for Jericho's lips to find his, her hands clutching at his neck, holding him in place as though afraid he might leave. Oswald's arms wrapped around her back, holding her against himself and Jericho leaned into him, urging him to walk backward to the bed. He sat down and Jericho pulled back from the kiss, already breathing hard but smiling.

"I love you Oswald," Jericho said.

"I love you too," Oswald said. "But I don't think now's the best time."

Derieri stepped up behind Jericho, kissing the side of her neck, Jericho tilting her head out of the way, exhaling heavily and reaching back, curling her fingers in Derieri's hair. Oswald's eyes widened as Jericho turned her head, Derieri meeting her lips with her own for several seconds before pulling away.

"To put it bluntly, we don't care," Derieri said, kneeling beside Oswald and pulling him into a searing kiss, Jericho kneeling on his other side.

Oswald felt his head beginning to spin. After a moment, Derieri pulled back and Jericho turning his head, giving him an equally heated kiss. After a moment, Jericho moaned into the kiss and Oswald pulled back, finding that Derieri was massaging Jericho's breasts. Jericho let out a shaky breath and Oswald felt his will break. Fine. If they wanted to play, he'd play.

He slid back, out of the way, then moved behind Jericho, pulling her shirt up over her head. The moment it was out of the way, Derieri's lips met Jericho's, both girls moaning as their tongues begsn to twist and slide together, their hands exploring each other's bodies. Oswald gently pushed Jericho into Derieri and Derieri took the hint and lay back, pulling Jericho on top of her. Oswald quickly pulled Jericho's pants off, leaving both girls completely bare, Derieri having let her darkness fade already.

He quickly pulled his own clothes off and Derieri moaned into Jericho's mouth, one eye staring at his erection. He knelt down between his two lovers' legs and began to lap at their already-slick slits together. Jericho's juices were as sweet as ever, and he revelled in her taste. Then, he trailed his tongue down, circling her clit a few times before continuing to Derieri's clit, then down further to her tunnel, groaning as he wriggled his tongue into it. Derieri's juices were a bit less sweet than Jericho's, but the taste was no less addictingly amazing. He worked their slits hungrily, the girls both moaning and panting throught the kiss, their hips rocking against each other's, grinding their clits together.

Oswald pushed two fingers into Jericho's tunnel and she cried out in pleasure as he began to quickly thrust them in and out. Then, Oswald pushed one finger into Derieri and she bucked and moaned harshly, clamping down on his finger as he began to finger her. She was a lot tighter than Jericho, and he was a little worried he might hurt her if he wasn't careful.

Derieri and Jericho's moans grew louder and more hoarse as he continued his ministrations, rapidly pumping his fingers into them again and again, tongue working their clits rapidly. He was a little interested to see who would finish first, but after a few more minutes, both began to tremble around his fingers. He sped up, working their folds and tunnels mercilessly until both suddenly screamed, Jericho' juices squirting out of her, Oswald drinking them greedily, all the while using his newly free fingers to work both girls' clits and his other hand continuing to plunge its finger in and out of Derieris's spasming and contracting tunnel.

Finally, both began to come back down from their orgasms and Oswald sat up, reaching up and kissing Derieri, who moaned hungrily as she tasted Jericho's juices. Once he pulled away from Derieri, Jericho's lips and tongue met his, an equally hungry moan rolling out of her as well.

"Me first, please," Jericho moaned.

"Not this time," Oswald said. "Derieri's going to be first because her first time should be as good an experience as it can be."

"Wait, first time?" Jericho blinked. "So then, you two haven't..."

"No," Oswald said. "She was only just starting to admit she had feelings for me when Meliodas captured me."

Jericho nodded. "Alright. Fair's fair then." She got up and spun around, positioning herself over Derieri's face before laying back down. "I'll help."

Derieri moaned as Jericho went to work, then began to return the favor, Jericho moaning as well. Oswald waited a couple of seconds to enjoy the show, before lining himself up with Derieri and beginning to slide into her. She moaned in a mixture of discomfort and pleasure, but as he continued, her face began to betray more and more pain. Finally, he was fully seated inside of her and stopped, Derieri whimpering as she struggled to adjust, Jericho skillfully and quickly working her clit in order to help her feel better.

After a few minutes, Oswald began to move slowly, Derieri gasping but then moaning. Oswald kept his movements slow, making sure Derieri was okay before speeding up at all. Slowly, he begsn to pick up the pace, Derieri's moans growimg louder and more frequent as he did. Finally, he begsn to set a rhythmb thrusting into her quickly as Jericho worked her clit.

After a few minutes, Jericho suddenly gasped harshly, then moaned, arching her back. Oswald continued to thrust into Derieri, but leaned forward, curious what Derieri was up to. Derieri had formed darkness from her palm into Jericho's tunnel, forming a phallus about the same size as Oswald's member, and was plunging it into Jericho as quickly as Oswald was into Derieri. Oswald smirked and began to pick up the pace even more, fucking Derieri harder, her cries of pleasure muffled by Jericho's clit. Jericho lewned back down, muffling her own cries of pleasure with Derieri's clit, working it furiously.

After a couple more minutes, Oswald felt himself getting close, and felt Derieri starting to quiver around him. He struggled to hold out, but before much longer, Derieri screamed, her tunnel clenching around him and dragdragging him over the edge. His hips bucked, driving his member as deep into her as possible as his seed began to flood out, rapidly filling her. Less than a second after they had reached their climax together, Jericho suddenly sat up and yanked Oswald into a kiss just in time to silence her own scream as she came as well. After a few more thrusts, Oswald began to come down from his orgasm, panting and pulling out of Derieri, still hard. Jericho lewned down instantly, taking his member into her mouth and beginning to bob her head, quickly cleaning his and Derieri's fluids off of him. Then, she released him and flipped around, spreading her legs as she lay beside Derieri.

"My turn," Jericho said.

Oswald lifted Derieri and set her on top of Jericho, then lined himself up with Jericho's entrance. Hkwever, he paused, forming darkness into a replica of his member just above his actual one, the replica lined up with Derieri. Then, he pushed into both girls, both crying out in pleasure and mashing their lips together hungrily as he began to fuck them. However, all three were still sensitive from finishing before, and knew they wouldn't last long.

Oswald thrust harder, burying himself in them again and again as their tongues fought for dominance and their hands slipped down to rub each other's clit. Oswald felt pressure stsrting to build again as Jericho began to get close, her moans growing shaky and desperate. Abkve her, Derieri was barely able to make a sound, apparently ababout to finish already. Oswald slammed into the girls harder and within a few seconds, Derieri screamed into Jericho's mouth as she csme, bucking and jerking atop Jericho. She grabbed both of Jericho's hands, lacing their fingers, seeming to need to hold onto something, and as a result her clit ground roughly against Jericho's as Derieri's hips shook.

Within seconds, this pushed Jericho over the edge too, and her inner walls clenching and milking his shaft dragged Oswald after her. He grunted and groaned, flooding her tunnel with his semen again and again, Jericho beginning to overflow after a few moments. Then, finally, he began to grow soft, his darkness fading as he collapsed beside the two of them.

Both reached over and kissed him, Oswald kissing thrm back happily, before Jericho rolled onto her side, cuddling into Derieri, who did the same.

"I love you Oswald," Jericho said.

"So do I," Derieri added.

"I love you too," Oswald smiled, kissing both again before standing. "I have to go fix my swords. I'll be back in a bit."

Both nodded and he pulled the covers up over them before getting dressed and grabbing his broken Sacred Treasure, as well as his other broken sword. He walked down to the forge Merlin had made for him and lit a fire, dropping all three weapons into a pot and setting it over the flames.

"I can't believe you did that with us all here!" Diane shouted seconds later.

"Well they didn't exactly leave the choice up to me," Oswald said.

"That doesn't make it okay!" Diane snapped.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Oswald said. "It won't happen again."

"Good," Diane said, then peeked over his shoulder. "So, are you going to remake the bow?"

"No, I'm putting the bow into the sword," Oswald said. "I prefer a single sword to a pair, and the bow was great, but I learned how to make one out of pure Holy Magic, kind of like Gowther's bow, so I really don't need a bow anymore."

"Okay," Diane nodded. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I've got it handled," Oswald said. "Thanks though."

Diane nodded. "We're all outside if you need anything. Oh, and Merlin said she's sorry, but your armor was too badly damaged to be fixed."

"It's fine," Oswald said. "It was mostly decorative against enemies as powerful as these anyway."

"I suppose," Diane nodded, then headed outside.

Oswald settled in to work, adding both of his types of magic to the metal as it melted. Finally, he poured it into a caste he had made specifically for the possibility of having to reforge them before they left Liones and dunked it into a water trough beside himself before breaking off the caste and beginning to fine tune the blade, also adding a couple of extras. After about four hours, the sword was finally finished. It was different than the original. The blade was a pure white feathered wing about four feet long with the feathers on the back edge of the blade, though still sharp, and reaching toward the tip, then the wing's front edge curving back inward and up before sweeping back downward, similar to how the devil's wing side of his bow had been shaped. At the base of the blade was a large blue crystal sphere at the base of the blade. On both sides of the sphere were the Nephilim symbol from his shoulder with the circle taking up most of the sphere, then the wings reaching outward from the sphere as the cross guard, curving toward the blade slightly, and the arrow white on the sphere, then black on the handle, which was smooth with small blue gemstones encrusted in it here and there, like the angel side of his bow had had, and a slightly larger blue gemstone in the pommel. He placed in a new sheath and smiled. He could feel the weapon reacting to him, accepting him. It wasn't designed to really transform like his bow had, but it was specifically designed to be used with both sides of his power, and amplified both as much as his bow had when fully awakened. When he tapped into his demon power, the feathers would turn black. He pulled the sheath on and walked to the bar, getting a bottle of liquor and sitting down, taking a sip and waiting for something else to happen.

* * *

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	28. Chapter 28

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of the characters.

* * *

Worse and Worse

Oswald raised his bottle to his lips, only to stop as a wave of wasp stings rolled across his body. He slowly lowered it, then set it on the bar and stood as all of the others stood from wherever they had been sitting. It was the middle of the night, and now there was someone very powerful approaching. Not Chandler, fortunately, but not a much better situation. It was Zeldris.

"What do we do?" King asked.

"I'll go and negotiate with him," Merlin said, holding up the test tube containing Melascula. "I've still got my own card to play."

"Wait," Oswald said. "He won't be satisfied with just her."

"He'll want me too," Derieri said, slipping her hand into Oswald's.

"He won't get you," Jericho said flatly.

"It's not you he wants," Oswald said. "Not really. It's your Commandment. Meliodas is collecting them."

"He can have it," Derieri said. "I don't want to be a Commandment anymore."

"Can he take it without killing her?" Escanor asked.

"I don't know," Oswald said. "But he's not going to hurt her without killing me first."

"He's here," Merlin said, stepping outskide, Oswald and Derieri following. "It's nice to see you again."

"What are you talking about?" Zeldris spat. "I'm never met you before in my life."

"Now that hurts," Merlin said before tranforming into a child. "Remember me now?"

Zeldris swore, backing away. "You!? You're the Merlin Meliodas mentioned? The child blessed by the Demon King and the Supreme Diety?"

Oswald blinked slowly, staring at Merlin, who simply smiled proudly. That explained so much.

"Zeldris, we should head somewhere else," Oswald said. "We'd like to negotiate, rather than trying to fight you."

"Very well," Zeldris said. "Bring your whore."

Oswald nodded and Zeldris flew into the air, Merlin, Oswald, and Derieri following. They flew up high, far above the clouds before finally stopping.

"I'll cut to the chase," Oswald said. "You want the Commandments, we have two, and I know where you can find a third, assuming Estarossa doesn't get there first. However, in exchange, we have demands."

"You filthy Nephilim!" Zeldris spat. "You don't have any right to make demands!"

"Oh yes I do," Oswald said. "I have something you need, and you have something we want. That's why it's negotiating."

Zeldris snarled in rage. "Speak."

"My demand is simple," Oswald said. "Give me your word that Derieri will not be harmed, whether when you take the Commandment, or after you've acquired it. Give me your word that you won't harm or kill her here and now."

"You have my word," Zeldris said. "If she willingly surrenders the Commandment, I won't harm her."

"Take it," Derieri said.

Zeldris nodded, chanting and forming several hand gestures before extending his hand toward her. There was a flash of light and he held his hand up, a sphere of dakrness with a darker symbol in the center floating over his hand. It dropped into his hand and he closed his fist before turning to Merlin.

"And your request?" Zeldris asked.

"Hand over Elizabeth," Merlin said. "She only has three days to live, no, only two days now, and I won't have her spending it fighting."

"I can't do that, Meliodas won't allow it," Zeldris said.

"I see," Merlin nodded. "Then in that case, give ms the king of Camelot."

"I don't know who that is," Zeldris said. "And I have more important matters to deal with than to find some pathetic human king. Someone's been slaughtering my subjects recently. Maybe your king was killed, or maybe he was sacrificed to weaken the seal. Either way, you won't be getting him from me."

"Very well," Merlin nodded. "I understand. Then I have one more. Release the people of Camelot and Liones who are under the control of your Commandment of Piety, and order your demons to not hurt them."

Zeldris was silent for a moment before nodding. "It's done. Now give me Melascula."

"Very well," Merlin said just as Oswald drew his sword, holding it to her throat, Merlin holding her hands up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Oswald said. "But I can't allow you to carry out your plan. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not letting you risk Derieri's life dor your schemes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zeldris snarled, gripping bis sword, his power climbing rapidly.

"That's simple," Oswald said, lowering the sword. "The person taking aim."

Zeldris's eyes widened just as the massive cloud bank behind him parted, a massive blast of white energy as big around as Liones Castle flashing toward them all, only for Merlin to teleport them all back to the Boar Hat, smirking.

"Well played," Merlin commended.

"Thanks," Oswald said. "That attack's not going to last long, and...teleport us, now!"

Merlin swore as she sensed Ludociel tsking sim at Oswald and Derieri again, and focused. A moment later the bar shook and she sighed. "We're over Camelot."

"Good," Oswald nodded. "Let's go save the peop-"

He froze with his hand on the door as waves of chills washed over him, feeling like snakes were writing around in his gut. It couldn't be. And yet, it was.

"He's alive," Oswald breathed.

"Who?" Merlin asked.

"My father," Oswald said. "I can sense him. He's coming this way. And he's bringing five very dangerous friends."

"Well, we'll have to give him a proper greeting when he arrives," Merlin smiled.

"No," Oswald said. "Focus on the people. I'll face them alone."

"The hell you will!" Derieri snapped. "Ludociel will take pot shots at you again!"

"No he won't," Oswald said. "He's busy."

"We're coming with you," Jericho said. "Just accept it."

"Stay here," Oswald said. "I'm not asking, and this isn't like Chandler. This is something I have to deal with alone."

And with that, he walked outside and took off, streaking through the air away from Camelot. He focused his senses. There were other powers. His father was chasing someone. A lot of someones.

Oswald stopped as he reached a relatively safe distance from the city and drew his sword, waiting. A moment later, a group of nearly fifty Celestials, another offshoot race of the Goddess Race, like Angels but weaker, flew into view. The two in front, however, caught Oswald offguard for a moment. One of them looked almost exactly like Meliodas, except less toned and muscular. The other looked exactly like Elizabeth, the old Elizabeth, complete with a pair of wings. In that one's hand was a sword with a feathered wing-shaped blade, the feathers being the back of the blade, much like his own, since it was where he got the idea for his, then two inch-long wings reaching backward from the back of the blade as a guard, and a handle with blue jewels encrusted in it and one in the pommel.

"So that's the weapon they meant," Oswald said. "Looks about like I though. I was close." He narrowed his eyes as the demons chasing the Celestials came into view.

A huge green one with red hair where the head should be, and a face on its chest, a red "X" above its face. A girl with a whip, orange hair, a red "V" between her eyes, a pink top that only covered her breasts and had black sleeves, and black pants. A giant humanoid lion with a red railroad spike marking up through his left eye. A pink and black armored demon with a round, flat head and long claws. A demon with half of its body white, bald, and muscular, then the other half a red mass of burned flesh. Then, there was his father. Leader of the Six Knights of Black. He was powerfully built, had grey hair messy on top then hanging behind him, white skin, a red circle on his chin with a spike on the top left, a blue trench coat and pants, and a one-handed sword with a wood handle and a long double-edged blade that bowed outward at the wnd, then was round, rather than pointed.

"You need some help?" Oswald called out as the Celestials neared him.

"Who are you?" the one who looked like Meliodas asked.

"An ally," Oswald said. "May I borrow that sword of yours?"

"Your own seems to be pretty powerfully attuned to you," the girl said. "And also looks an awful lot like this one."

"It is," Oswald nodded. "I forged it and based its design off of what I'd heard about that one. But I want that one because having a spare never hurt."

"You're not taking the Winged Sword!" the boy snapped.

"Listen kid-"

"Solaad!" the boy snapped.

"We really don't have time to discuss this," Oswald said. "Do you know how to weild that thing in battle? Or does your girlfriend?"

"I'm Ellatt," she said. "And I _do_ know how to fight."

"And yet you're running," Oswald said.

"Of course we are!" Solaad snapped. "We can't beat them! They...tbey killed our greatest warrior! My...My father! That bastard with the sword killed him!"

"I'm not surprised," Oswald said. "The Celestials' power has been steadily declining ever since the war." He sighed as the rest of the Celestials began to pass and the six demons stopped. "Time's up. I'll deal with this. And after, we can discuss that sword." He ignored Solaad trying to argue, as well as calling him insane for planning to fight the demons, and flew forward, stopping a hundred feet from the demons.

"Who the hell are you?" his father asked. "You seem different than the others. And not just because you're dressed like some pitiful human."

Oswald raised his hand and pointed at his father. His father released a bark of laughter.

"Pump, kill him," he smirked.

The armored demon cackled, spikes sprouting from his body as he shot forward, arms spread wide. Oswald's sword shone with Holy Magic and he flipped over Pump's attempt to skewer him before stabbing at him from above. A blast of pure white energy shot out of the blade, punching completley through Pump in a spray of blood before Pump dropped, crashing to the ground in a heap. Oswald formed a ball of pure white flames and dropped it onto Pump's body and the flames roared as they engulfed him, bur ing him away in seconds before dying out. Oswald turned back to his father, who stared at him in surprise before grinning.

"Well, well," he grinned. "So you're that whore's brat, huh? And I'd wager you're challenging me personally because you were lucky enough to be mine?"

"I definitely wouldn't call it luck," Oswald said. "You and all of your men from back then raped my mother constantly until you broke her will and made her your own little whore. Then you got her pregnant before becoming the leader of the Six Knights of Black. I had heard you were dead. Shame it was wrong."

Oswald's father laughed. "So that was when, huh? And the bitch?"

"She died giving birth to me," Oswald said.

His father laughed again. "Well done. A natural from birth, just like me. Alright. Allow me to give my bastard son a proper introduction. This is Galla," he gestured at the girl, "Atollah," the demon with the burned half and white half, "Dahaaka," the green demon, "Derocchio," the lion, "and the guy you just killed with such ease was Pump. And I'm Bellion, your dear darling daddy."

"My name is Oswald," Oswald said. "Now, which of your pathetic fools would you like me to kill next?"

"Pathetic!?" Derocchio roared.

"I'll show you who's a fool!" Galla spat.

"Time to die!" Dahaaka laughed.

"Looks like we've got a few takers," Oswald said.

Derocchio streaked forward, fist pulled back, and Galla pulled her whip back as Dahaaka sent his hair flying at Oswald.

"Voltaic Whip!" Dahaaka shouted, only for Oswald to spun and windmill kick Derocchio into his hair just as electricity coursed through it, Derocchio roaring in pain.

Oswald spun out of the way of Galla's whip and shot forward, closing the distance between them in a second, splitting her in half diagonally, then spun and shot upward, avoiding a barrage of ice spikes from Derocchio. Then, he flipped over and shot back downward, splitting Dahaaka down the front. As Dahaaka fell, Oswald smashed a kick into him, sending him blasting into Derocchio, stopping him casting a spell before passing them and splitting Dahaaka in half as he slashed through him to decapitate Derocchio.

"Impressive," Bellion smirked. "Atollah, would you mind-"

An arrow of Holy Magic drove itself through Atollah's face, killing himself instantly. Bellion, blinked, then looked to Oswald again as he allowed the bow to fade, drawing his sword again. He hummed thoughtfully before narrowing his eyes and raising his sword.

"I see," Bellion said. "You're Commandment level. I suppose I should have dealt with you myself."

"Too late," Oswald growled. "Now it's time for me to make this curse of a family disappear."

"Don't get smart you brat!" Bellion roared, exploding forward.

His sword exploded into Oswald's, sending him streaking backward before Oswald stopped himself, his sword shinning once again before he shot forward, his blade crashing into Bellion's. Both began to flip and spin and slash rapidly, struggling to land a hit on the other. After seversl moments, Bellion knocked Oswald's sword out to the side and grabbed Oswald by the face, streaking straight downward and smashing him into the ground. Oswald flipped, slamming a kick into the side of his head and launching him away before following, sword pulled back. Bellion flipped, deflecting the blade only for Oswald to flip, smashing a glowing kick into Bellion's abdomen. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he shot backward, only to flip, driving his sword into the ground and skidding to a stop. He exploded forward agsin and Oswald met his charge, deflecting his saord a d slazhing, his blade splitting Bellion's side open shallowly befkre Bellion caught him by the ankle, flipping him around and smashing him down on the ground. Oswald bounced and Ballion sslashed at him. Oswald flipped, Bellion's blade amputating his wings before Bellion smashed a kick into Oswald's got, sending him bouncing and flipping away, his ribcage shattered. Finally, he plowed a trench into the ground before stopping and groaning.

"Damn," he sighed, looking up at the sword lying a hundred feet in front of him at the beginning of the trench, halfwah between him and Bellion.

"Is that it?" Bellion smirked. "What a joke. You actually had ms worried when you slaughtered the others, but you're nothing but a disappointment."

Oswald chuckled, darkness spreading over him before shining white as light flooded into him, healing him in seconds. He allowed the light to fade as a pair of wings burst out of his back, flicking the blood off of their black feathers. He walked forward, picking up his sword, the metal turning black as he did, then stopped, raising his free hand and beckoning Bellion. Bellion narrowed his eyes before exploding forward, shattering the ground before slashing at Oswald. Oswald tilted his head to the side to give him better access to his neck, only for Bellion's sword to shatter against the darkness there. Bellion's eyes widened just before the back edge of Oswald's sword split his torso up the front from his left hip to his right shoulder. Then, he swung it back down from Bellion's left shoulder to hks right hip, forming an "X" before the darkness faded, his feathers and sword both turning white again. Bellion tipped backward and collapsed, coughing up blood and glaring at Oswald.

"Damn...you!" Bellion snarled. "I should have...killed...that bitch!"

"I agree," Oswald said, then drove his shining blade down into Bellion's face, killing him.

"You're the Nephilim!" Solaat accused from bebind Oswald, pointing the Winged Sword at him.

"I am," Oswald said, turning toward him. "And you're just like all the rest, aren't you? You hate me for existing. Nevermind that I just saved what's left of you Celestials from the Six Knights of Black."

"Solaat, that's enough," Ellatt said. "Please. This isn't who you are."

"Who I am is weak!" Solaat said. "I can't be merciful, or peaceful! My weakness is what got my father killed!"

"No, what got your father killed was blind obediance to an uncaring Supreme Diety," Oswald said. "The was started because the Goddess Race wanted to rule the world, the. after the peace treaty, they wanted to be justified in continuing to fight, so they broke the treaty in secret, then killed hundreds of innocents from the Demon Clan. If your father hadn't been so sreadfastly, and blindly, loyal to the Supreme Diety, he could have ordered a retreat sooner, and then he'd be alive."

Solaat and Ellatt stared at Oswald for a long moment before either spoke.

"He's...he's right, Solaat," Ellatt said. "You tried to tell us to leave, and you tried to find another way, but no one listened. That's not your fault. Please, don't let it change you. Please don't stop being the Solaat I love."

Solaat grit his teeth, beginning to cry. "Leave Nephilim! You're...You're not welcome among our people!"

Oswald flew into the air, looking around. Hawk's Mom was gone, but before he could be concerned about that, he found himself floating inside the throne room of Liones. Merlin and the others were all around him, and Gilthunder, who had been missing ever since the Commandments attacked Liones thanks to Vivian, was there, along with Princess Margaret, the you g girl with the lute from Gloxinia and Drole's Vaizel Fighting Festival, and the muscular man with the blue clothes besring crosses.

Behind them was a massive crowd of people, inuding Hendrickson and Dreyfus, but Oswald payed them all no mind, instead holzing his sword to Margaret's throat, his left arm out to his side, his darkness forming a hand with which he was holding Derieri back. Margaret was possessed by Ludociel, the girl with the lute was possessed by Sariel, and the other guy was possessed by Tarmiel.

"The Nephilim," Ludociel spat. "And his demon whore. Just when I thought today couldn't possibly go wrong."

"Get...out...of...her!" Oswald snarled.

"Or what?" Ludociel smirked.

"I'll force you out," Oswald said. "I've gotten good at controlling _both _of my sides' magic. I _will_ drag out out of Margaret's body, kicking and screaming if I must."

Ludociel smirked, one hand holding Margaret's sword's hilt, the other the sheath. "I'd love to see you try it, filth."

"What is going on?" Bartra demanded. "If you're not Margaret, who are you?"

All three formed their wings, which hovered a few inches behind their hosts' backs.

"The Four Archangels of the Goddess Clan's Loduciel," Ludociel smirked.

"The same," Tarmiel said. "I'm Tarmiel."

"Sariel," Sariel smirked. "Would you like us to exterminate this vermin and his whore for you?"

"You lay one hand on her and you die!" Oswald snarled. "I don't bear the two of you a personal grudge, unlike Ludociel, but I _will_ kill you to defend Derieri."

"Aw," Ludociel smirked. "Are you still mad about that Arc incident? I swear, I didn't know you'd actually survive."

"You son of a bitch!" Oswald spat. "There were women snd children in that Arc! You murdered hundreds of innocent civilians! Hundreds of children! You murdered Rajine!"

"They were hardly innocent," Ludociel smiled. "After all, they were demons."

Oswald spat in Ludociel's eye, Ludociel's expression flickering between annoyance and outrage for a half-second before becoming a serene smile again.

"THEY WERE CHILDREN! ! !" Oswald roared. "THERE WERE INFANTS! ! ! UNBORN SONS AND DAUGHTERS! ! ! CHILDREN WHOSE ONLY SUPPOSED SIN WAS TO BE BORN AS A SPECIES THAT YOU INFINITELY ARROGANT AND SELF-GLORIFIED BASTARDS DECIDED SHOULD BE ERRADICATED JUST FOR REFUSING TO ALLOW YOU TO DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANTED TO! ! !"

Ludociel watched him in silence as a heavy, suffocating silence filled the room. No one was sure how to react. Finally, Elizabeth set her hand on Oswald's shoulder.

"Put it away," Elizabeth said.

Oswald clenched the sword so tightly it shook for a moment before speaking through clenched teeth. "Yes, your highness." He lowered his sword and pulled Derieri over to himself, slipping his hand into hers before letting his darkness fade, Derieri no more calm or controlled than he was.

"You've come here to ask for help, haben't you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Wrong, we've come to _offer ours_," Ludociel smirked.

"We don't want your help!" Oswald spat. "You traitorous bastards! You all started the war in the first place, and now that you're too weak to stop it, you're all here to order humanity to fight it _for_ you!"

Ludociel glared at Oswald. "We are here to enlist the help of the human kingdom's Holy Knights, as well as the strength of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"We don't take orders from you!" Derieri snapped.

"I was not talking to you, you _DISGUSTING DEMON WHORE_! ! !" Ludociel roared. "You will remain silent or you will share the same fate as the rest of your filthy demon kin!You shoumd feel honored that we have deigned to let you live this long! You, your filthy Nephilim, _and _your human whore!"

Oswald snapped, his left hand releasing Derieri and snapping out to grab Ludociel by the face, meaning to force him out of Margaret so that be could kill him, only for Elizabeth to grab both him and Derieri by the arm and hurl them to Diane, who caught them and pinned them under her foot.

"That is enough brother!" Elizabeth snapped.

"You haven't changed, have you sister?" Ludociel smirked. "You still protect filth. Like that traitor Meliodas. Where is he? Be's the Seven Deadly Sins' leader, isn't he? But he's not here. Which can only mean that he's betrayed you all here, at the most vital moment."

"He hasn't betrayed anyone!" Elizabeth snapped. "You take that back!"

"Enough with your naïve idealism, sister!" Ludociel said. "He leads Zeldris and Estarossa in some scheme even now. And that's not even the worst of it. They've resurrected their masters, the Pacifier Demon and the Napping Demon. After all, the Black Bloodline and the White Guide are destined to kill each other. But if Stigma and the Seven Deadly Sins join forces, there would be nothing to fear at all. If you contribute yojr efforts to the war, Mother may even lift your curse."

"I don't care about that!" Elizabeth snapped.

"Regardless, this is a good situation for you," Ludociel smirked.

"You can take your good situation and shove it up your ass!" Oswald shouted, Ludociel glaring at him. "And as for that whore bitch of a mother of yours, you can tell her to shove all of her curses, and ber damned Holy War, and her superiority complex and shove it up her ass too! Or maybe you can do it for her the next time you fuck her like the fucking whore she is!"

Ludociel's face changed between disgust and pure murderous intent so instantaneously that Oswald could have missed it if he'd blinked. He drew Margaret's sword instantly and charged so fast he seemed to teleport, only for Oswald to throw Diane's foot off and move to meet Ludociel's charge. Then, he, Derieri, Ludociel, Sariel, and Tarmiel were each in a separate Perfect Cube. Oswald glared at Merlin, who glared right back.

"That...is...enough!" Merlin snapped. "I'm not letting any of you three out until you can exist in the same room without attacking each other! And I'm keeping you two," she turned on Sariel and Tarmiel, "in those specifically as a safety precossion. You two have actually behaved yourselves nicely."

"When we get out, the Nephilim will die for insulting Mother," Tarmiel said.

"I retract that statement," Merlin said. "You're going to stay in there until you've cooled off too."

"Better get comfortable," Oswald said, sitting against the side of his cube. "Those three will be stewing in their own self-righteousness for another couple millenia before they decide to play along. Actually, Sariel and Tarmiel might be good in a month or so. Ludociel will go a couple millenia. At best. Tell me I'm wrong boys."

"You're no better!" Elizabeth snapped. "Stop provoking him!"

"I'll stop provoking him on the day that he admits he was wrong to massacre all of those people," Oswald said. "He doesn't have to apologize. Just admit it was wrong. His girlfriend Nerobasta did it."

Ludociel snorted. "Girlfriend. She was a servant in our glorious army, nothing more. ut speaking of her, perhaps you'd like me to point out that after she apologized, you killed her anyway."

"I didn't kill anyone," Oswald said. "But this time, you have my word. If you honestly admit you were wrong, we will stop causing trouble, and we won't try to kill you. For now."

"Even if the word of a filthy abomination like you _wasn't_ less valuable than the shit that comes out of a demon's ass, I still would admit to being wrong about nothing, because nkthing I have done thus far has been wrong."

"As I said, a couple millenia, at best," Oswald said.

"This is getting us nowhere," Merlin sighed. "Elizabeth, currently, you are in essance, our captain. Whatever yyou decide, we'll follow you. Right Oswald?"

"As long as Ludociel and his brothers stay away from me, Derieri, and Jericho," Oswald said. "Otherwise I'm taking their heads."

"Then we have a deal," Ludociel smirked. "Come Elizabeth."

Elizabeth nodded to Merlin, who released the three Archangels. Ludociel drew Margaret's sword and pure white energy formed a larger blade silhouette over it before he raised it, the blade extending into a massive beam that passed through the ceiling. Then, as Elizabeth and he swore to a pact of alliance, Elizabeth raised her arm and formed a blade of her own with her arm being the base. Once that was finished, Ludociel "requested" a celebratory banqubanquet be thrown and Merlin left with Oswald and Derieri, Jericho following.

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	29. Chapter 29

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of the characters.

* * *

Rescue

Oswald sighed as he took a large swig from his bottle, then passed it to Derieri who did the same.

"Gear up, we're going to Camelot," Merlin said, striding into the room and dropping Oswald's armor at his feet.

"I thought it couldn't be fixed," Oswald said.

"I changed my mind," Merlin said. "Put it on. Quickly."

He dropped his trench coat and pulled the cuirass on over his blue shirt, then pulled the gauntlets and bokts on. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," Merlin said.

"Sounds like a plan by our standards," Oswald said, pulling his sword on. "Let's go."

"We're right behind you," Jericho said.

"Leave them here," Oswald said.

Merlin snapped her fingers and teleported herself and Oswald to Camelot's castle. Just as she did, she herself was standing in front of Arthur, between him and a demon with red hair in a ponytail, a manchmanchu mustache, one side of which had been cut shorter than the other, a tigh, sleeveless, button-up shirt, black pants, and a pair of elbow-length gloves. Cusack. Zeldris's master.

"Icicle Castle!" Merlin shouted, a massive formation of icicles exploding outward from her hand, encasing Cusack instantly.

As she did, Oswald turned to Arthur, resting his hand on Arthur's forehead and spreading darkness over his face before it shone, light particles flooding into it for a moment before Arthur's eyes shone white for a moment. Then, the light faded and Oswald let his darkness return to him, his wings and sword turning black as he turned to the demons.

"You broke my Resonant," Cusack snarled. "How?"

"We're leaving," Merlin said.

"Go," Oswald said. "Give me thirty seconds."

"You won't survive ten," Meliodas warned.

"I'm giving you five," Merlin said, vanishing.

Instantly, Oswald's wings exploded, shining white feathers flooding towtoward the four demons before him before dark ess replaced them and he shot backward through a hole in the wall. He skidded to a stop between the pieces of Arthur's sword, grabbing both just as Meliodas's hand exploded out of his chest. Meliodas hummed thoughtfully.

"That heart wasn't beating," Meliodas said. "How very generous of you. And very foolish."

Suddenly he was in the Boar Hat and collapsed, coughing blokd, the pieces of Arthur's sword clattering to the ground before Elizabeth knelt beside him, beginning to heal him.

"You almost died for a stupid sword!?" Derieri shrieked. "Are you out of your mind!?"

"He's going to be fine, Derieri," Elizabeth said as light particles began to flood into Oswald's body, speeding up her healing.

Finally, it was finished and he groaned, wiping his blood from his chin before ha ding the sword pieces to Arthur.

"You're not using that sword until you can use it poroperly," Oswald growled. "You goddamn suicidal brat! What the fuck were you thinking!?"

"I thought I could beat them with the Holy Sword," Arthur said. "I...I was trying to save my kingdom."

"You can't save anything if you're dead!" Oswald snapped. "Do you know what it was I saved you from? Do you know what Resonant does?"

"No," Arthur said.

"It creates a link between you and Cusack," Oswald said. "He could have controlled you like a puppet! He would have had you stab yourself through the heart!"

"Oh," Arthur said quietly. "Thank you for saving my life."

Oswald sighed. "I'll fix your sword later. Then I'll see about getting that magic power of yours to wake the fuck up."

"No need to fix the sword," Arthur said. "It'll repair itself in a few hours. It's part of why I weild it."

"Alright," Oswald nodded. "Merlin, Elizabeth, go deal with Ludociel. I'll fill Arthur in."

Merlin nodded and the two of them left. Once they had, Oswald began to tell Arthur about all that had happened, starting with Meliodas's plan, Elizabeth's true identity, their respective curses, Ban's location, Chandler and Cusack, and then finally about the three Archangels, as well as why he shouldn't trust them, including their ability to brainwash those around them.

"That's a pretty different story than what I had heard about the war," Arthur said. "But I suppose you would know, since you were there. I still can't believe you're actually a Nephilim."

"Yeah well...not by choice," Oswald said.

"I suppose nnot," Arthur nodded. "And that Commandment, Derieri, you said? She's on our side?"

"Yeah," Oswald said. "You don't need to worry about her. The only person she's likely to hurt is me."

"I am if you keep pulling stupid stunts like that!" Derieri snapped.

Arthur chuckled. "I thank you again for saving me."

"It's fine," Oswald said.

He yawned, covering his mouth and closing his eyes as he stretched, and felt something in the air change partway through, as well as sensing Ludociel's glare. He sighed, opening his eyes in the war room, now standing beside Elizabeth.

"How may I be of service, your highness?" Oswald asked, glare never wavering from Ludociel, who glared right back.

"Stop calling me that," Elizabeth said. "You're going to need to know thw plan. You're being placed in a command position within the Search-And-Destroy team, the bulk of the army, that will be clashing with the bulk of the demon army. Merlin, Ludociel, and Escanor will be heading directly to Camelot, along with Hendrickson and Gilthunder."

"Tch," Oswald frowned. "You're sending away our biggest assets."

"It's necessary," Elizabeth said.

Oswald sighed. "As you wish. I assume what this means is that I'll be dealing with Chandler and Cusack."

"Along with Sariel, Tarmiel, and the Seven Deadly Sins, and myself, yes," Elizabeth nodded.

"Wonderful," Oswald sighed. "Alright. What about Arthur?"

"He's coming as well," Elizabeth said. "However...Derieri and Jericho csn't come. They have to stay behind in the Defense Force."

"Sariel, Tarmiel, since I know this part's coming from the two of you, allow me to say this," Oswald sighed. "As much as I would love for them to stay here and be out of harm's reach, and believe me, there is literally no one who wants them to stay away from the fighting more thnthan me, there is literally nothing that would keep them from my side. Probably to include a Perfect Cube. So I'm sorry, but they're _going_ to be there, and you two are just going to have to suck it up and live with that."

"You disrespectful little-"

"Ludociel!" Elizabeth snapped. "He's right. As I told you before. Those two will not allow Oswald to fight this war along no matter what we do or say."

"Very well," Ludociel said. "In that case, you are dismissed, vermin."

Oswald's hands curled into fists, but he remained still. A smkrm slowly spread over his face.

"What's so funny?" Ludociel asked.

"Your Breath of Bless ability is powerful," Oswald smirked. "However, it's not unbeatable."

Ludociel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wouldn't dare. You know what will happen if they refuse to work with us."

"Yes," Oswald nodded. "They're free to decide how and when to die. Instead of the mass suicide you tend to order us into, we can survive from one battle to the next."

"Not fighting to the death is exactly how this war has dragged on so long," Ludociel snarled.

"Exactly, because we didn't get ourselves wiped out in a single battle," Oswald said.

"What are you talking about?" Howzer asked.

"He has the Holy Knights brainwashed," Oswald said. "It's called Breath of Bless. It grants a substantial power increase but at the cost of free will. Fortunately, I know someone who's quite good with brainwashing."

Just then, the door opened and Gowther walked in. "I've finished. They kept the power increase, bjt the brainwashing was negated. They are all quite unhappy."

"Great, now we've lost our army!" Ludociel snapped.

"Wrong," Oswald said. "Now, I'm going to prove that free will is the most powerful weapon people posess."

He walked out of the rolm, everyone else following. Outside, the Holy Knights were gathered, shouting for the Archangels to go away. Oswald flew up where everyone could see him and shouted for silence, getting it after a couple of moments.

"Thank you!" he scanned the army. "Now, Ludociel tried to use you, and tried to make you his slaves! He tried to march you into a war without you having the freedom to choose when to survive, and when to die! He took away your ability to choose what to die _for_!"

Everyone was shouting again, but quieted down as he raised his arms.

"The Seven Deadly Sins have given you back your right to choose, for a specific reason!" He took a deep breath. "I am asking you to march into that same war, and to fight those same battles! I know it's not fair of me to ask! I know that I'm not a human, and have no right to ask any of you to follow me, possibly to your deaths! And a lot of you _will_ die! Make no mistake of that! But if we don't fight, if we choose not to go to war, the demon clan will come to us, and they will not care that we want to survive! We must fight them, and we must defeat them! But we of the Seven Deadly Sins can't do it alone! We need your help! We need you to join us! For your wives! For your children! For your families! If you can't go to war for me, do it for the people you love! Who will join us!?"

The army cheered, raising their weapons. Oswald floated down to land beside Ludociel and Elizabeth.

"There's more than one way to raise an army, Ludociel," Oswald said. "And I'm not letting you use us for your own gain again."

"Be careful that you do not overstep your bounds, vermin," Ludociel snarled before walking back into the castle.

"You should have warned me," Elizabeth said.

"You condone him brainwashing them all and marching them to their deaths?" Oswald asked.

"No," Elizabeth said. "But sometimes, the best way to lead is also the cruelest."

And with that, she also went back inside. Oswald stared after her before flying back to the bar.

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	30. Chapter 30

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of the characters.

* * *

To War

Oswald patted his horse on the side of the neck just as the Pleiades of the Azure Sky rode over to him. He nodded to Deathpierce, who gave a slight bow in return.

"I thank you for stopping their brainwashing," Deathpierce said.

"That was Gowther, not me," Oswald said, seeing one of the others, a boy named Arden, who used a bow, glanced at the team's only girl, Deldry.

"Be that as it may, you are unlike any Goddess I've ever met," Deathpierce said.

Oswald snorted. "I'm not a Goddess. I'm an offshot known as Angels. We were used as grunts, for the most part, but because of it, we also became more powerful than the Divine Lance Corporals, who were supposed to be like Goddess Clan Holy Knights. Actually...I'm...not just an Angel."

"What else are you?" Deathpierce asked.

"I'm a Nephilim," Oswald said. "My mother was an angel, who was raped by a demon and had me."

"Well, I'll follow an honorable Nephilim before following Ludociel any day, Deathpierce smiled.

Oswald smiled as well, just as Deldry glanced at Arden. "Thank you. Arden, can I have a word with you?"

"Sure," Arden nodded, slightly confused.

Oswald lifted into the air, bringing Arden with him before setting him in a bell tower a ways away. "You're blind as a bat, kid."

"You know you're not much older than me," Arden said.

"I'm thousands of years old," Oswd said. "I can just change my body's ohysicsl age at will, so I stay young."

To prove his point, he aged to a middle-aged man, then back. Arden's eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"Now, as I was saying, you're blind as a bat," Oswald said.

"How so?" Arden asked.

"You're single right?" Oswald asked.

"Yeah," Arden said cautiously.

"What if I told you I knew someone who was in love with you?" Oswald asked.

"Who?" Arden asked.

Oswald held out his hand, forming an arrow of Holy Magic. "This is cupid's arrow. Take out your bow."

Arden did so and Oswald moved behind him, drawning the bow back with the arrow. Arden sighed, sighting in and Oswald angled the arrow so that Arden was sstaring at Deldry.

"Deldry definitely doesn't-"

Just then, Oswald let the arrow vanish just before Deldry glanced up at them, saw Arden staring at her and quickly looked away.

"Go kiss your girlfriend Arden," Oswald said, then flew him back to his horse, landing on his own.

"Good talk?" Jericho asked.

"It better have been," Oswald snorted just as Arthur rode over, his gleaming gold armor clinking slightly and his magic power still dormant, despite Oswald's best efforts.

Instead, he had given Arthur a backup sword charged with a small amount of Holy Magic to use if he met a demon his own sword couldn't beat.

"Ready?" Oswald asked.

"Ready," Arthur nodded.

Howzer nodded as well and raised his lance. "Move out!"

Cheers rang out through their army and they headed out. They didn't have to travel long, though. A few hours after leaving they spotted the demon army. Thousands of demons of all sizes and types, plus more Albions than Oswald cared to count. He flew up off of his horse and drew his sword, swallowing hard.

"Alright," he nodded to himself. "Time to go to war."

"Guila!" Howzer shouted.

Guila sent a massive flood of fireballs out into the demons ranks, killing many of them, but mostly scattering them and allowing them to not have to clash head to head. Howzer went next, blasting a massive group with a tornado. Then, Oswald landed on his horse's back agsin, the feathers of his wings exploding outward and shredding their way through dozens of demons. Light particles begsn to flood his wings, rapidly reforming his feathers. Then, just as a Copper Demon, a massive demon with its face on its torso more than its head, since the head was little more than a buldge, slammed its fist down on his horse, he flipped into the ajr, feathers finishing regenerating before he was off. He split the Copper Demon's upper body in half and kept flying, thw Holy Knights firing all manner of attacks up at the demons, Oswald avoiding them. He carved his way rapidly through demons as he flew. A blue one, a red one, another red one, a grey one. It became a sort of game to him. How many different colors could he find before repeating one. Red. Grey. Blue. White. Red again. Green. Grey. Copper. Green again. Two Reds.

He lost count of his kills quickly, leaving a trail of body parts and corpses behind himself, shredding his way through the demon army with his shining white blade. Suddenly, an Albion punched downward at him and he flew up its arm, his sword splitting jt as he went. Finally, he finished his slash, the arm split in half to the elbow before he shot forward, focusing pure white flames around his left fist before drilling it into the Albion's face, this one being a fat one. The flames exploded outward, demolishing the Albion's head and the boddy tipped backward, crushing a hundred demons. A moment later, a blue demon flew past, shrieking in pain with Arthur on its back, sword through its chest. Then, he ripped the sword up and out and leapt to a red demon flying past, splitting it in half and stepping of half of it before splitting a pair of grey demons, then stabbed a Copper demon in the face. As the demon fell, Oswald grabbed Arthur off of ths corpse and flew down low, droppingg him onto a green demon's back before rolling and slashing, an arc of white light fflashing out of his sword's blade and blasted through a handful of demons.

Then, Diane rode a tsunami of dirt and debris by, crushing countless demons before King used his spear to shred an Albion before sending it spraying through the demons as its smaller blades.

"Show offs," Oswald grumbled, holsing his left arm out. "Heaven's Shield."

An Albion's fist crashed into the shield, breaking two of the shields before stopping. Then, Oswald took off, letting the shield fade and blasting his way through that Albion the same way he had the last. Just as he stopped, Derieri reached him, smashing two Copper Demons together between her dark hands, and Jericho flew up next to them on a floating chunk of ice.

"New trick?" Oswald asked.

"Have to keep up somehow," Jericho said, flicking a hand and sending ice spikes spraying into the demons.

"Looks like you're doing fine," Oswald said. "Your brother would be proud."

"Thank you," Jericho smiled. "Behind you."

Oswald spun, splitting a pair of Copper Demons in half before they could punch him and both crashed to the ground. Just then, Guila's voice screamed and they all spun, only for Gowther to appear in front of the demon holding her, kicking through its arm and removing it before kicking it in the chest as his foot was going back up, sending its head and innards spraying skyward before he caught Guila and leapt backward to an abandoned horse, setting her on it. She gave him a quick kiss before he returned to Hawk's Mom with Elizabeth and Hawk, using his bow to make further away demons beat themselves, and each other, to death.

Oswald smiled and turned, returning to the fight. As he did, however, a battle cry sounded from above and they looked up as blasts of Holy Magic and Arcs began to rapidly decimate the demons.

"Goddesses!" Jericho gasped.

"Celestials," Oswald smirked as Solaad and Ellatt flew over to him, Derieri and Jericho both staring at them in shock. "Hello again."

"We're here to help," Solaad said. "After all, we can't be so loyal to the Goddesses as to be blind to an ally in need. And I assume the demon beside you is alive because she's on our side."

"Thank you," Oswald smiled. "And yes she is. So, Ellatt. Time to see if you really _do_ know how to fight."

She smirked, raising her sword, Solaad currently weilding the Winged Sword.

"Let's go!" Oswald said, all five of them taking off and tearing into the demons.

As he did, he noticed Solaad and Ellatt were charginf their sweapons with Holy Magic the same way he did, as were the rest of the Celestials. As a result, they, were slaughtering demons. Within another half hour, the last few dozen fled from the battle, instead charging toward Liones.

"Zeal!" Guila shouted.

"The Defense Force will defend the city with their lives," Howzer shouted. "We have to trust them. Our priority needs to be rescuing those people endanvered by the Demon Clan's advance! But try to avoid engaging in any of the villages when possible!"

"Oooh," Diane teased. "He's sooo captainly."

"He suuure is," King teased also.

"Stop making fun of me!" Howzer shouted, just as Oswald and the others landed beside him.

"You fight well, Nephilim," Sariel said as he and Tarmiel fllsted down level with him from where they had been watching and using intermittent Omega Arcs, wbich was juat a barrage of several really big Arcs. "And you conduct yourself with honor."

"He's a good man," Solaad said.

"Who are you?" Tarmiel asked.

"Solaad," he introduced himself. "I'm the new leader of what's left of the Celestials, ever since the Six Knights of Black killed my fsther and the others."

"The Six Knights of Black are free?" Tarmial asked.

"Dead now," Oswald said. "Anyway, I'm glad you two are starting to not want me to die, but we might have something else to deal with."

"What?" Sariel asked.

"The guy who killed your brother," Oswald said, his feathers and sword turning black, his eyes turning red, and darkness spreading over his body in a flame-like pattern, finishing just as something exploding into the ground before them. "Estarossa."

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	31. Chapter 31

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of the characters.

* * *

Estarossa

"The man who killed your brother. Estarossa." Oswald stepped forward, along with Sariel and Tarmiel, then held his left hand out to the side. "Everyone else stay back. That means you, Derieri, Jericho. Let the three of us handle this."

"Well, well," Estarossa grinned as the dust cleared, Estarossa's muscles flexing and coiling under his skin, his shirt missing, for some reason. "I came for the Commandment, and found four better prizes. A Nephilim, the dinamic duo of the Archangels, and _Elizabeth_."

Oswald bristled at the way he said her name. He wasn't sure what he wanted with her, but he definitely would_not_ be getting his hands on her. Estarossa grinned wickedly. Oswald clenched his fists then inhaled, catching himself, and forced himself to calm down.

"Sariel, Tarmiel, his Commandment is Love," Oswald said. "If yiu bear hatred in your hearts-"

"We'll be left powerless, we know," Tariel said. "We're not going to fall victim to such a cheap trick. Our Graces grant us immunity to the Commandments."

"Lucky bastards," Oswald smirked.

"You know, if you give me your Commandment, I'll make your death quick," Estarossa grinned at Derieri.

"You won't lay a hand on her," Oswald said. "And you're too late. Zeldris already has her commandment."

"Damn," Estarossa said, scowling. "Then I have no further use for a traitor. Black Hound."

Purgatory flames expllded off of him, forming into a massive dog, and charged at Derieri, only to scatter and fade on impact with Oswald's Heaven's Shield. Oswald let the shield fade and leveled a cold glare at Estarossa.

"I told you, you're not going to lay a hand on her," Oswald said.

"Do you hate me?" Estarossa grinned.

"No," Oswald said. "I sympathize with you. You're hated for being a demon. You're the middle brother, and yet your younger brother has more of a claim to the throne than you, and you're going to die here. I feel sorry for you."

Estarossa narrowed his eyes, then grinned. "Close one. But I'm not here alone. You see, the Six Knights od Black weren't the _only _ones the Celestials had imprisoned. Heel boy."

Suddenly, a massive creature exploded into the ground, the impact shattering the ground and hurling everyone away besides Estarossa, Sariel, and Tarmiel. As Oswald stood, the dust began to settle, revealing a gigantic creature with six glowing red eyes, six legs with white on the bottomg, then turning a dark purple at the top, purple scales along its back with massive spikes sticking up out of it, a long plated tail with a morning star on the end as tall as two of Escanor, no head, a mouth with rows upon rows of pointed teeth, the entire mouth being big enough to swallow half a far Albion, and white along its underside.

"What is that thing?" Diane asked.

"It's an Indura!" Oswald swore, rising into the air, sword shining. "Sariel, Tarmiel, keep him busy. We'll deal with this thing."

"Good luck," Sariel smirked.

"We'll help," Ellatt said as she and Solaad flew up beside him.

Oswald nodded. "All Holy Knights, fall back!"

They did exactly that, minus Arthur, Howzer, Guila, and Jericho.

"Howzer, you too!" Oswald said. "They'll need you!"

Howzer hesitated before turning and following the rest of the Holy Knights. Oswald took a long breath before nodding. Then, he exploded forward, his sword tearing along the Indura's side. As soon as he had passed, all of the Celestials passed, their weapons also shining as they tore into it. Oswald flipped over just as Diane's hammer slammed i to the ground and massive stone hands sprouted around it, crashing down on it to pin it into place. It roared and lunched forward a step, only for King and Gowther to appear over it and use Gowther's bow to fire King's spear like an arrow down into its back, blasting a massive hole in its gut, pinning it. Then, Derieri landed on its back and begsn to slam punches and kicks into it, her Combo Star rapidly climbing, the Indura's back cracking. However, before she could break through its scales fully, its tail swung around, crashing into her snd hurling her at Jericho, who barely caught her, then landed heavily on the ground.

Then, the Indura roared, a maasive blast of purgatory flames eruoting from its mouth toward Liones. Oswald's demonic power activated instantly and he shot after the flames, getting in front of it just in time to flip, forming his barrier and blocking the flames, being shoved backward rapidly, the barriers breaking quickly. Finally, the blast stopped, leaving him with only his flower left, heavily cracked.

"Not bad," Oswald said. "Time to die."

He exploded forward, darkness forming a massive fist, which began to shine. The Indura opened its mouth again, but Guila and Jericho filled it with explosions and ice spikes, stopping its attack and making it roar in agony, breaking free of Diane's stone hands and rearing up. However, before it could come back down, Oswald's fist exploded into the underside of its head, or the closest thing to one that it had, and blood and teeth sprayed skyward. Then, he flipped, shifting the fist into a blade and dropped, driving the blade into the weakened spot Derieri had formed. The Indura roared, thrashing, and Oswlad leapt off just before the Indura hooked its tsil in the hole at the base of Chastiefol's blade and hurled it away. Oswamd growled in annoyance before glancing at Diane and King, an idea forming.

"King, Diane, can you do that stone tree thing?" Oswald asked. "Gloxinia and Drole's?"

"We'll try!" Diane nodded.

She and King begsn to form hnd gestures rapidly, copying what Drole and Gloxinia did. Then, both of their powers spiked.

"Combined Technique, Ore Tree Orudora!" they shouted, the ground below the Indura exploding upward, belling outward and rapidly swallowing it, though not getting very high.

"We can't hold this long!" King warned.

"Just long enough!" Oswald said, shooting forward. "Celestials, I need your power!" He landed on top of the tree and the Celestials all slammed their hands into it, their power flllding the tree as Oswald set his hands down. "Combined Technique, Arc Spear Prison!"

The tree shone blindingly and the Indura roared in agony as it was impaled rapidly. All of the Celsstials, along with King, Diane, and Oswald, shived all the power they could into the tree. Then, finally, the light faded and the tree crumbled, the Indura crashing lifelessly to the ground, blood flooding out of itits mangled body.

"Very nicely done," Estarossa said from behind Oswald.

Oswald instantly formed a Heaven's Shield just in time for Estarossa's fist to crash into it, the entire shield exploding instantly. Oswald flipped, barely avoiding the punch as his sword shone again, splitting his torso completely from his navel to his left shoulder. However, as he flew backward, darkness instantly stitched him back together, the wound sealing instsntly. Two things registered in Oswald's brain. First was that Estarossa had gotten a power up. His lower body was now completely wrapped in darkness, with a single jagged piece sticming off the front, his arms were encased in darkness below his elbows with sharp claws, and there was a ring of darkness with six small wings hovering behind him. His crest had also changed, going from the same Zeldris had to a massive blotch of darkness on his forehead. The second hing Oswald's brain registered was that, power up or no power up, no demon should be capable of healing from a Holy-Magic-infused blade instantaneously like that.

Oswald looked around, but Tarmiel was lying on the ground with claw wounds from the top of his head straight down to his abdomen, and Sariel looked to have been crushed, though he was still airborne, and both were healing already. Oswald swalloed hard and activated his demonic power as well, pure white purgatory flames roaring to life along his sword.

"Let's play some more," Estarossa smiled.

"Sure," Oswald nodded. "Let's play!"

He shot forward, flipping around Estarossa's hand, though losing his wings, and slashed Estarossa across the chest. However, the Holy Magic faded immediately from the flames, and while Estarossa did scream and writhe in agony from the flames, they didn't do much actual lasting damage. Oswald formed a fresh set of wings and flipped, spinning back toward Estarossa just as Estsrossa reached for him.

"Piercing Water Pillar!" Tarmiel shouted, a massive blast of water exploding into Estarossa, blasting him into the ground and completely obliterating his bodh from chest to knees.

"Man, you Archangels are next level!" Estarossa cackled.

"This is insane!" Sariel snarled.

"Something is seriously wrong here," Oswald said. "He's immune to my Holy Magic."

"That's impossible!" Tarmiel said. "Even the Demon King isn't immune. You must be using it wrong."

"I'm pretty sure I know how you use it!" Oswald snapped.

"How is he already healing?" Sariel demanded.

They looked down at Estarossa as darkness began to reform his missing body. Oswald swallowed hard.

"Be careful!" Derieri shouted. "He's taken in Galand's Commandment!"

"That explains it," Oswald growled. "And I can sense another with him."

"You're right," Tarmiel nodded.

Just then, he began to chant, a sphere of darkness with the same symbol Monspiet had once had on his cheek in the center.

"I thought that was given to the Demon King!" Oswald swore. "Stop him!"

Oswald, the two Archangels, and all of the Celestials exploded forward, the Archangels wjth their respective Tornado and Ocean Graces charged into their fists and the others all with their weapons charged with Holy Magic. But as the weapons tore into him, ripping him apart, none of the wounds were efeffected by the Holy Magic. Estarossa grinned as the sohere began to pass into his chest. Oswald swore, flapping his wings and expllding backward as his darkness snapped out as hundreds of twntaclesb smashing everyone else, including the two Archangels, away from Estarossa. Half a second later, darkness exploded up around him in a spiraling tornado of power.

"We're fucked!" Oswald swore.

"How could this-" Sariel was cut off by a hole suddenly appearing in both Archangels and Oswald's torsos.

As they fell, Oswald's darkness filled in the hole before light flooded into it. It didn't heal fast, however. Three of his four remaining hearts were severely damaged, and it was all he could do to keep them beating, his actusl wound regenerating slowly. Finally, hus hearts were healed and he focused his full effort into healing his wound. It finished after a handful of seconds, and he scrambled to Sariel and Tarmiel, beginning to force Light Particles into them, jumpstarting their own healing.

Finally, they pushed themsves up, healing themselves as they all stared at Estarossa. He was different. His darkness had become a tight shirt with a his collar, his chest exposed, and the sleeves ending just below his elbows, then the darkness continued down to form pants and feet and spread to the ground around him.

"He's a monster," Sariel snarled.

"He's as powerful a demon as Meliodas is, now," Tarmiel said.

"He is no demon," Oswald snarled. "No demon is completely immune to Holy Magic."

"What then?" Sariel asked. "A Nephilim?"

"No," Oswald said. "I have another theory. Derieri once told me that Estarossa was supposedly born with no power over Darkness, and that he only gained it upon gIning a Commandment, but that the Commandment broke his mind and twisted his soul. I think there was a reason for that."

"Well if he's not a demon, what is he?" Tarmiel asked.

"I think he's a Goddess," Oswald said.

Both stared at him in silence, the gears in their heads free-spinning. Suddenly, Estarossa spotted Derieri and the darkness on his body began to rage around out of control.

"Derieri," Estarossa said. "That's right. I came here to steal your Commandment. If I steal them all...and surpass my brother...I...I _am_ Meliodas."

"He's lost his frickin' mind," Derieri growled from beside Elizabeth, just as Oswald appeared in front of them, sword held at the ready and his other arm raised.

"I told you you wouldn't lay a hand on her," Oswald snarled.

"You bastard," Estarossa snarled. "Get the hell away from my woman!"

He shot dorward, a gigantic silhouette of a cleaver bigger than his body with an arm-length handle, exactly like what Meliodas originally weilded, forming in his hands.

"True Heaven's Shield, Divine Bulwark!" Oswald snarled.

The barrier that formed was a shining gold shield with the usual flower in the center of it, the center of the flower dominated by a Triskelion. Then, in front of the shield were six smaller and smaller replicas, forming seven in total. When Estarossa's sword crashed into it, bits of darkness and Light Particles flew like sparks, and three shields split in half and faded.

Then, Tarmiel and Sariel both passed, sword blades formed of light extended from their arms and splitting Estarossa across the chest and abdomen, then also both arms. Then, his body's segments were attarched by darkness and spun, his blade vanishing, a pair of jagged blades forming from his arms, splitting both Archangels across the back.

"Elizabeth, it's so noisy here," Estarossa said. "Let's go somewhere quieter. Or I could just make it quiet here."

King and Diane moved to attack, only for Elizabeth to shout for everyone to stop.

"I don't want anyone to be hurt anymore," Elizabeth said, walking around Oswald's remaining shields and stopping in front of Estarossa. "I'll do as you say."

"There's somewhere I want to go with you," Estarossa smiled, wrapping an arm around her.

"Elizabeth, don't," Oswald said.

_"Listen everyone, I'll be fine,"_ Elizabeth's voice spoke in their minds. _"__More importantly, I need you to help Tarmiel and Sariel, then warn Ludociel, Oswald."_

"Dammit," Oswald growled, just as Estarossa exploded skyward, taking Elizabeth with him.

* * *

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	32. Chapter 32

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of the characters.

* * *

Identity

Oswald caught Sariel's host as she collapsed. Trying to contain an Archangel for an extended period, especially during battle, had aged her host rapidly, the once young and small girl who no one had realized was even a girl was now a fully grown, and rather well-endowed, woman. However, if she continued to play host to Sariel, she would die. The same was true for Margaret. Ludociel would kill her, and unlike Sariel, probably didn't care.

Light suddenly shone from both Archangel's hosts, the clothes the Archangels had formed fading and leaving them both nude, though Tarmiel's host was a corpse he had borrowed, so that one probably didn't mind. Ellatt landed beside Lswald and draped a robe over Sariel's host, then lifted her and passed her to another Celestial.

"Take her to Liones, and take twenty five others, you're to reinforce the Defense Force," Ellatt ordered, the Celestial nodding and flying away with a group of others.

"Sariel, Tarmiel, can you telepathically communicate with Ludociel?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Sariel nodded. "We've warned him about the situation."

"Alright," Oswald said, seeing the two's forms flicker a little, not having been fully formed. "Here. Divine Light."

He rested a hand on each of their shoulders and a pair of beams of pure light exploded down from the sky, crashing down on Sariel and Tarmiel, both of whom screamed in pain. However, as the light faded, they stared at their now solid hands, eyes wide with surprise.

"What...was that?" Tarmiel asked, his three faces speaking together.

"I gave you enough of a boost in your Holy Magic to finish regenerating your forms," Oswald said. "No more Hosts needed."

"Amazing!" Sariel breathed. "I didn't know that was possible!"

"It wasn't without me," Oswald said. "I had to use my darkness as a conduit to guide the Light Particles from the attack into your bodies."

"Then I'm glad no one killed you up until now," Tarmiel said.

"Same," Oswald said. "Let's go save Elizabeth."

"Right," both Archangels nodded.

However, as they began to fly away, Derieri, Jericho, King, Solaad, and Ellatt began to follow.

"No!" Oswald snapped. "Only me and the Archangels. You two especially are not coming!" He pointed at Derieri and Jericho."

"Yes, we are," Jericho said flatly.

"So are we," Solaad said. "We are not allowing the Supreme Diety's daughter to remain in the hands of a monster like Estarossa."

"You will _all_ die!" Oswald argued. "We can handle this!"

"We don't have time for this!" Sariel snapped. "The Celestials and humans are staying! The demon, Nephilim, and Fairy King come."

Oswald sighed but nodded, flying down to Jericho. "I promise you I'll come back, so you had better be alive when I do."

"I will," Jericho nodded. "Bring Derieri back with you."

Oswald nodded, kissing her, then turned and flapped his wings just as they turned black, blurring through the air and passing the others, who all sped up to keep up with him. "I can sense Estarossa's Commandments! He's lost control! We need to hurry!"

The others nodded and they all pushed themselves harder. However, as they were nearing Estarossa and Elizabeth, Hawk suddenly appeared beside them with Gowther on his back.

"Gowther," Oswald said. "Estarossa, he's a Goddess, right?"

Gowther remained silent. Oswald nodded.

"It was the other Gowther's doing, then," Oswald said.

"There he is!" Sariel shouted, pointing to a massive creature created from darkness in the shape of a body, with Estarossa's head and shoulders in place of a head. "That's the state he's been reduced to by the Commandments!"

The others all shot forward, moving to attack Estarossab but Oswald hesitated. He had a theory about Estarossa's true identity. And if he was right, they needed to remove his Commandments, immediately.

He watched as the others held their own fairly easily. Estarossa had lost his overwhelming power along with his control. He had a chance. He just needed to get shot down low and shot forward as his demonic power faded. Then, he reached Estarossa and placed a hand against his chest.

"Purge!"

Estarossa's eyes widened, blood spraying out of his mouth before he screamed in agony. Oswald shot backward, the others doing the same.

"Sariel!" Oswald shouted. "What did Mael look like?"

"He...He was..."

Both of them stopped, struggling to think before doubling over, clutching at their heads.

"It...It can't be!" Sariel shouted.

"Why can't I remember my brother's face!?" Tarmiel raged. "It's...impossible! Why is the only oone I see Estarossa's?"

"You _do_ remember his face," Oswald said, both staring at him, as did Derieri, who looked equally confused. Oswald raised his sword, pointing the shining blade at Estarossa. "You've been seeing your brother's face all day. Daybreak!"

The light from his sword flashed outward, burning Estarossa's darkness away in seconds, leaving Estarossa floating before them with four white wings, all of them covered in black spots. Estarossa was still screaming and clutching at his head, blood flooding down his chin, but as the darkness faded, he fell, as did Elizabeth, though Oswald caught her and returned to Derieri, who gently took her from him.

"Estarossa never existed," Oswald said. "Gowther of the Ten Commandments used a forbidden spell to create him. His true identity is the Archangel, Mael."

Everyone stared at Mael as he struggled to his feet, his Commandments having stopped fighting to get free. Light Particles began to gather, forming him a white robe and pants, the black spots on his wings fading. He blinked and suddenly there were Triskelia in his eyes.

"Mael!" Tarmiel breathed. "You're alive!"

He took a step forward, only for Oswald to hold his sword out to the side, blocking his path and stopping him just as Mael doubled over, screaming and clutching his head.

"He still has the Commandme ts inside of him," Oswald said. "We need to force them out."

"This is a nightmare!" Mael shrieked. "It just keeps on going! I can still feel it in my hands! The feeling of having killed so many of my breathren! The feeling of incinerating so many innocents! Who's done this!?"

"The responsibility rests solely with me," Gowther said, walking forward, holding the heart his creator had given him, which Merlin had made into a neclace for him. "Destroy me."

"Gowther, from the Ten Commandments of the Demon Clan, I see, so it was you," Mael said.

"Gowther, stay back," Oswald said.

"It's fine," Gowther smiled.

Then, Mael's knee exploded into Gowther's torso, smashing him into a wall behind him. "You made me treat Ludociel as an enemy, someone I respected...and respect someone as filthy as Meliodas!"

"I can't wait to see how he reacts to me being here," Oswald sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You stole my Grace and my justice," Mael said, gripping Gowther by the face, his left eye as black and unhinged as it ever was as Estarossa. "This is an unforgivable sin."

Then, an explosion of light sent Gowther flashing through the air into a massive stone block, which was the base for a Goddess statue. Oswald rose into the air before Mael, who watched him silently as Oswald's feathers and sword again turned black, darkness covering him.

"Give up the Commandments, Mael," Oswald said. "You shouldn't have the power of both Demon and Goddess."

"You sound like a hypocrite, Nephilim," Mael spat. "Your very existance is a sin!"

"Maybe," Oswald shrugged. "But I'm not quite ready to repent just yet."

Mael smiled. "Foolish Nephilim. There is no repenting for one such as yourself. There is only oivion!"

He shot forward, fist cocked back, only for Oswald to appesr below him, his own fist exploding upward into Mael's jaw. mael flipped, firing a beam of light, only for it to explode through five of Oswald's True Heaven's Shield barriers and stop. Oswald let his barrier fade and rocketted upward at Mael, throwing a punch, only for Mael to catch his arm and smash a knee into his gut, then punch him downward. Oswald exploded down into the ground shattering it and sending bots of the edges plummeting to the world below the clouds. However, as he stood, his wings snapped and cracmed agonizingly, Oswald no longer flinching as they did. Once they were healed, he exploded off of the ground and up at Mael again. This time, he flipped over Mael, darkness forming around his fists as he clasped them before expaniding into a massive hammer, which he smashed down on Mael, sending him exploding down through the tower even harder than he had hit, the sides of the cliff they were atop exploding outward. Oswald hoped there was no one below them.

"I won't allow you to hurt my friends," Oswald said. "That includes Gowther. I know he caused you to suffer, but that wasn't his intention. He only wanted to end the war."

"He's your friend?" Mael asked, the dust clearing and revealing him to be unharmed. "Then he'll die too!"

Then, be shot sidewaysb landing over Gowther and stomping on his hand, crushing the heart necklace in it, and breaking Goether's wrist. However, as he lifted his foot, he say Gowther's hollow arm.

"What the hell kind of body is this!?" Mael demanded.

"I was created by a magician named Gowther," Gowther explained. "I am a doll."

"A doll!?" Mael seethed. "How am I supposed to take my revenge on you if you can't feel any pain!? Stop fucking wjth m-"

King's Guardkan punched Mael, sensending him flying at Derieri, who formed a massive foot of darkness and punted him at Oswald, who punched him down into the ground again.

"I know," Mael said as he stood. "If I can't hurt your body, I'll hurt your heart. I'll kill these friends of yours, starting with the demon whore!"

He spun to fire a blast of light at her, only for Oswald to drive several dozen tendrils of darkness down through his body, pinning him in place completely, even as he formed a True Heaven's Shield anyway. And half a heartbeat after he had the barrier in place, Mael's fingers each fired a beam of light, which exploded through his barriers, then drove themselves through Oswald, missing his hearts, fortunately, and then missed Derieri. Oswald began to fall, Ligbt Particles already healing him, and Derieri caught him. However Mael was free and shot toward her, only for King to again smash him away.

"You're not going to kill our friends," King said.

"Please, just kill me as your revenge!" Gowther said. "I can't bear to lose any more of the people precious to me."

"Which is exactly why he's doing it," Oswald said, finishing healing and beginning to hover beside Derieri.

"If you know the pain of losing those precious to you, why are you so willing to die?" King asked, smiling at Gowther.

"Derieri, go look after Elizabeth," Oswald said.

Derieri nodded and turned, flying back toward Elizabeth, only for Mael to streak after her. Then, Oswald's hand met his chest.

"Purge."

Mael fell, blood spraying out of his mouth before he crashed to the ground, more blood spraying out of his mouth each time he coughed, or wretchedb or screamed.

"This power is poison to you, Mael," Oswald said. "Let it go. Come back to yourself."

Mael rose into the air, glaring at Oswald as the wings on his left side began to turn black from the tip inward. Oswald sighed just as Sariel and Tarmiel flew up beside him, King and Gowther below them.

"Sariel, Tarmiel," Mael breathed.

"Be strong brother," Tarmiel said. "We'll save you."

"I wish I could truthfully be happy enough to say you look well," Sariel said.

"Before all that, can you answer me a question?" Mael asked. "What did you mean save me? Why are you protecting the sinner who caused me so much pain? And what happened to the Four Archangels' sacred duty to eliminate the filth of the Demon Clan?"

"It's all because you're not yourself right now, Mael," Oswald said. "Those Commandments are amplifying hour pakn, and your loss, and they're turning it into an unquenchable rage."

"Nonsense," Mael said. "I once lost myself to them, but now I can control them. The power of an Archangel mised with the power of not one, but _three_ Commandments."

"No," Oswald said. "You're powerful, but you're not in control. I'm sorry. But if you won't give them up for yourself, I'll have to rip them out of you by force."

"Fine," Mael said. "With my Grace gone, the Commandments were my only hope. But if you would take even my hope away. Then I shall give you despair instead."

Holy Magic and Purgatory Flames began to stream from his wings, forming into a massive blast of spiraling, opposing magics above him. Then, he hurled it at them all and everyone but Oswald scattered. Mael began to spray purgatory fireballs and blasts of light magic at the others as they all struggled to hold the sphere of flames and light at bay. King took a shot to his right arm and Tarmiel got blasted. Oswald flew forward, reaching out to the sphere. His had met it and the flames turned pure white in a wave spreading outward from his hand before he pushed, the blast flashing back toward Mael. Mael flipped out of the way, only for Oswald's expanded fist of darkness to explode into him from aboce, sending him exploding into the ground. Just as he rose, Gowther transmitted a plan of action to Oswald. It was a good plan, if they could follow it. Oswald didn't want to. It was too risky. And it meant that Derieri would probably die.

He shot downward, his fist impacting and shattering the ground, only for Mael to raise the hand he had caugbt the punch with, allowing him to stand. Oswd flipped, kicking at him with an equally massive foot, but Mael caught his leg then smashed him into the ground before punching him, sending him exploding through the ground and out the far side of the massive spire they were on. He healed his wings and flew back up just as Tarmiel and Sariel smashed a massive spiraling blast of their respective Graces into each side of Mael, holding him in place.

Derieri shot forward, beginning to pummel Mael. As she did, Gowther began to search Mael's memory for a way to remove his Commandments. Oswald shot forward, but he knew he would be too late.

"Tar...miel..." Mael groaned. "W...Why...is it...always me...being treated this way? Help...me."

Oswald pushed faster. Tarmiel's Grace ended and Mael grinned horribly.

"Thank you my brother," Mael smirked, raising a hand toward Derieri. "Arrow of Salvation."

The beam of light fired, punching through its victim's chest. But Oswald sighed. He had made it. Derieri was safe. He began to fall as Derieri screamed and chased him. He smiled. He was okay with this. Derieri was alive. His frjends would all live, although King needed his arm healed, and the one heart the attack had hit was one of the ones he had given to Derieri. Feeling finally began to return and he snapped his wings out, flipping and stopping himself as Light Particles began to regenerate his wound. Derieri stopped beside him and he smiled.

"Are you okay? Oswald asked.

"I'm fine," Derieri nodded.

"Good," Oswald nodded. "Now, it's time for me to rip those Commandments out of him. Gowther, new plan!"

Gowther scanned his mind and nodded. "Understood."

"What do we do?" Derieri asked.

"Stay away from Mael," Oswald said, drawing his sword. "I'm sorry Mael. I promise I'll have you healed after this."

"Come Nephilim," Mael said. "Let us see who is the thw more perfect union of darkness and light."

"Yeah, about that," Oswald said, streaking forward, rolling aside from a blade of Purgatory Flames Mael formed himself on his left arm, then stabbing Mael through the stomach. "Your darkness and light were never a union. Holy Purge."

His weapon shone and Mael screamed, blood spraying out of his wound and mouth. It leaked from his eyes like tears, and out of his nose and ears rapidly. Oswald twisted the sword, Mael's screams intensifying as his eyes began to shine. Then, Gowther was behind Mael, Sariel and Tarmiel holding him up while both grabbing one of Mael's arms. Gowther held out his remaining hand and a beam of pink energy connected his hand to Mael's head. Mael continued to scream, but began to resist. Oswald shoved more power into his spell. Again Mael's screams grew louder. Oswald's sword began to shine blindingly, and he was worried that maybe it couldn't handle the strain of the Commandments fighting against its magic so hard.

He glanced off to the side, where King was lying with a bolt of pink energy in the side of his head. He sincerely hoped this worked. If either he or Gowther failed to accomplish their parts in this plan, the dormant power inside of King would come in handy. He only hoped it awoke. And soon.

"I...am...the...most...powerful..." Mael begsn to pull his arms toward Oswald.

"You just don't give up!" Oswald snarled, shoving even more power into his sword.

Mael's screams renewed and his skin began to buldge and shrink rapidly all over his body as the Commandments begsn to try to break free of him. He screamed, but there was so much blood flooding out of his mouth now that it came out as a bubbling gurgle, followed by choking as he tried to inhale again. Darkness began to fly off of him in tentaclesas the buldging stopped. Oswald could feel the commandments fighting.

The darkness lashed out, one tendril taking off Oswald's wing, another splitting Tarmiel's torso open. One shattered the ground and another took Gowther's legs off, only for Hawk to catch him, once again as a sky manta. Oswald grit his teeth, the light from his sword dulling slightly as the Commandments' resistance weakened, the darkness not thrashing as violently, or as powerfully. It began to shrink back into Mael, and his screams began to increase in volume again, the first spraying the blood out of his throat in a short geyser. His body began to tremble, the light that had faded from his eyes returning, light beginning to shine from his mouth as well.

Then, finally, Gowther released him and fell backward. At the same time, King's body shone, aging into an adult, the bangs on the left side combed backward while those on the right side fell over his right eye, and his shirt exploded off as his wings grew to be bigger than him. He sat bolt upright, gasping for breath, an looking around.

"Where's Diane!?" King shouted.

"She was never here," Gowther said. "I apologize, but we believed it necessary to draw out your dormant powers."

Oswald opened his mouth to speak only for the Commandments to suddenly shove harder than any time before, his sword exploding out of Mael before Mael hurled both Archangels off, grabbing Oswald by the throat.

"You can't have this body!" Mael snarled, both eyes completely black and the three Commandments' symbols across his forehead. "It's ours!"

"Get out of Mael!" Oswald snarled, grabbing him by the forehead just as Elizabeth placed her hand against the back of his head.

"Purge!" both shouted.

Mael's eyes widened as blood sprayed out of his mouth for the hundredth time, then fell to his knees, staring blankly ahead as the symbols faded.

"Mael?" Elizabeth called out to him, kneeling in front of him.

"G...G...Go...th...the...fuck...AWAY! ! !"

Mael suddenly leaned back, roaring in agony, and rage, and effort, darkness exploding off of him in waves before vanshing just as the three Commandment spheres burst out of his chest and strekaing into the sky, disappearing. Mael began to collapse but Oswald and Elizabeth caught him, Elizabeth beginning to heal him as Sariel and Tarmiel landed to either side of him, helping Oswald lay him down. Oswald sighed, standing just in time for King to punch him in the jaw.

"Don't ever pull a stupid stunt like that again!" King snarled. "Don't you ever make me think Oslo, Elaine, and Diane sacrificed themselves for me, or I'll make you pay. Dearly."

"I'm sorry," Oswald said.

"On the other hand, I'm much more powerful now, so it definitely worked," King said. "Good plan."

"Thanks," Oswald said, then glanced behind himself before focusing, a new wing bursting out of his back. "That's better."

He turned to Derieri just in time for her to throw her arms around him, Oswald spinning around once before kissing her. "See how much better my plans work?"

"Yeah yeah," Derieri said, kissing him again. "Now what? Back to Jericho and the rest of the Search-and-Destroy Force?"

"We should go help Merlin and the others," Elizabeth said. "I have a bad feeling about it."

"I do too," Oswald nodded. "But I don't want to leave Jericho with only Howzer for protection too long."

"Diane's there," King said.

"Give it a second," Oswald smirked.

A moment later, a small portal opened, Oslo falling out of it before expanding and opening his mouth. A moment later, Diane climbed out of Oslo's mouth, dusting herself off before looking around.

"Aw, I missed the fighting?" Diane asked.

"It wasn't really the type of fight you could have helped with, to be honest," Oswald said. "I spent a good chunk of the fight using a continuous purge."

"I suppose," Diane sighed. "Well, as long as everyone's alright. You..._are_ alright, right King? Because...you seem...and even look...completely different. And I had this feeling that something was horribly wrong."

"I'm alright," King said. "We were just discussing where we're going next."

Just then, a powerful wind hit them, coming from the direction of Camelot, and bringing with it a monstrous Demonic power that felt like both Chandler and Cusack, but which was, at the same time, completely different. Oswald sighed. They were going. They had to. They needed to stop Meliodas, and judging by that demon's power, they needed to rescue Merlin and the others.

"Derieri, head back to Jericho for me, alright?" Oswald asked. "Look after our girl."

"Alright," Derieri nodded. "Just this once. Just because Mael's here."

Oswald smiled and nodded, kissing her for a long moment before she flew away.

"You are...the Nephilim," Mael said, sitting up. "You...saved me."

"I'm glad you're okay," Oswald said. "And I hope you can overlook my existance, and allow Derieri to live."

"I...I will not harm you," Mael said. "Either of you. I have caused enough grief. But we must end this war."

"Yeah," Oswald nodded. "If we save Meliodas, we can do that. We just have to kill that other bastard."

"The Original Demon," Mael growled. "We must hurry."

Oswald nodded just as a blinding light shone from Hawk's eyes. Then, in an explosion of smoke, Ban appeared, pushing himself up and dusting himself off. He was wearing an outfit designed the same as his last, but made out of some kind of animal with spotted skin on the half-jacket, then had black below the knee of the right pant leg.

"It seems my sister's eyes where they spot on when they chose you, Ban," King smiled.

Ban straightened up, completely unscathed. As always. Although, he was definitely a lot more powerful. Elizabeth wslked forward, seeming nervous.

"You made it back safely, Sir Ban," Elizabeth smiled. "What about Meliodas? Was he able to make it back with you as well?"

"Don't worry," Ban smiled. "He'll definitely be coming back for you."

Elizabeth smiled and Ban looked around, frowning. Oswald chuckled, walking over and gripping Ban by the shoulder.

"If Jericho or Derieri are dead when we get back, I'm going to make you immortal existance absolute hell," Oswald said, then spun, hurling Ban, who sped away in a blur, vanishing from sight after a couple of seconds.

"Nice throw," King nodded. "A little too far to the left."

"It just occurred to me how much stronger you've gotten," Diane said. "When we met, you necer could have thrown him like that."

"I had people to protect," Oswald said. "Now, we need to go. That bastard is still getting stronger."

"He's right," Mael nodded.

"Oh, and when we get there, we're going to have a huge surprise for you Mael," Oswald grinned.

"That's right!" Sariel grinned. "So let's go!"

Elizabeth shot into the air, four wings formed behind her, hovering a few inches behind her. Oswald stared, wide-eyed, for a fea moments before cheering and flying after her.

"You look so much better with wings, your highness," Oswald smiled. "Race you there boys!"

Sariel, Termiel, and Mael all smirked, streaking after him. As they flew, Solaad and Ellatt flew up out of the clouds, Solaad tossing the Winged Sword to Mael, who caught it and stared at them in surprise.

"Welcome home, Lord Mael," Solaad smiled.

"We're so happy you're alive," Ellatt smiled. Then, both vanished below the clouds again.

"Do you know them?" Oswald asked.

"No," Mael said. "They looked like..."

"I know, right?" Oswald smirked. "It's crazy."

Mael shook his head and swung the sword a couple of times before growing serious. Oswald turned back to the front and grew serious as well, sensing they were nearing their targets.

* * *

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	33. Chapter 33

I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any if the characters.

* * *

Finale

Oswald stared at the fight before him. Merlin was casting a spell that involved a massive glowing clock above her, while King Arthur and Ludociel, in his true form, though a spirit, defended her from a demon with a buterfly-wing-like mask, black flames for hair, a long white beard, four arms, a horse's lower body, thick armor on his upper body, two sword hilts with darkness for long thin blades, a shield, and a staff. Off to the other side, Zeldris was fending off Chastiefol, which was actuslly impressive, considering that King said he had launched Chastiefol before they had left for Camot.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it," Oswald said. "You got some amazing range."

"Thank you," King said. "Leave him to me. The bigger threat is the demon."

"Not for long," Oswald said. "We'll deal with him."

"Yes," Mael agreed.

"Not you," Oswald said, blocking his path with his sword. "One of our friends is wounded over there." He pointed toward where he could sense Escanor. "Heal him. Trust me."

Mael studied him for a moment before nodding and flying away. Oswald nodded to the other two Archangels and the three of them turned, streaking toward the Original Demon. It moved to stab Ludociel, only for Oswald's expanded, shining white fist to explode into its chest, hurling it away, where it was instantly blasted by both Sariel and Tarmiel, launching it even furthur.

"Do _not_ make me regret this, Ludociel," Oswald snarled, setting a hand on his shoulder. "This is a special request from Mael, and comes at the price of him having begged on your behalf. Divine Light."

Just as the blast exploded down onto Ludociel, Oswald spun, streaking up past the Original Demon, sword shining and splitting its torso wide open. It roared, staggering away, and Sariel blasted it into the sky in a massive tornado before Tarmiel blasted it in the chest with a massive torrent of water, sending it exploding away from them. It stood and grinned.

"Hellblaze Omega!" it fired a blast of purgstory flames at them, only for Ludociel to block it with an Arc as the light faded, leaving him restored.

"Pointless," Ludociel smirked. "Lighting Spree!"

Dozens of shining white Triskelia appeared around the Original Demon and fired lightning bolts as thick as trees, blasting him and sending him flying backward. Then, he stood, extending his hand again.

"Hellblaze Omega!"

"This again?" Ludociel smirked, blocking it again, only to go skidding backward.

"Did that just get stronger?" Oswald asked.

"Tornado!"

"Ocean!"

"Arthur, how you holding up?" Oswald asked, holding out his hand as the Original Demon grinned again. "True Heaven's Shield, Divine Bulwark!"

"Oh you know, just trying to keep the love of my life alive," Arthur said. "I lost that spare you gave me, by the way. Sorry."

"Hellblaze Omega!" the Original Demon shouted.

This time, the blast demolished six of the seven barriers.

"I knew it!" Oswald growled. "The more damage we deal, the stronger he gets!"

"That's right," the Original Demon grinned. "It's called Crisis."

"I'll show you a crisis," Oswald snarled. "Archangels, you're on defense. Arthur, with me."

Arthur nodded and they charged, both streaking forward. Then, as they reached the Original Demon, Arthur leapt at it, slashing. However, his sword sparked off of the Original Demon's shield. Then, Oswald took that arm off at the elbow. The Original Demon roared and slashed at Oswald rapidly, Oswald avoiding or blocming the slashes rapidly before Arthur's sword split it across the abdomen. The Original Demon leapt away and Oswald grabbed Arthur, flying backward and landing beside the Archangels in time for them to block a massive Hellblaze Omega, all three skidding back.

"He's not messing around!" Tarmiel growled.

"Nole," Oswald said. "We need-"

The Original Demon's sword blades and staff all suddenly elomgated, streaking past them, only for Arthur to step into their path, suddenly holding three identical swords in his six arms. Each sword smashed an incoming weapon away before two sets swung around into the third and he was back to normal. He blinked, staring at his sword before grinning.

"It's about damn time," Oswald smirked.

Just then, a ray of light suddenly shone through the clouds, Mael dropping from it, the light spreading outward, clearing the sky. Ludociel stared up at Mael in awe and joy as he flosted downward, the Winged Sword in his right hand, shining with golden light even brighter than the sun, and and a miniature sun hovering over his left hand.

"This war's over," Oswald smiled. "Mael's victory."

"What purpose do you have for coming here?" Zeldris asked. "If you've woken up, then you should just turn around and go back to Heaven."

"Part of the responsibility for starting and dragging out the Holy War lies with me," Mael said. "But despite that, I did not come here to fight."

"You didn't come here to fight?" Zeldris scoffed.

"You don't want me to join the effort to prevent Meliodas from transforming into thw Demon King," Mael said. "But if you evacuate your forces from Britania immediately, I won't involve myself at all."

"Don't interfere!" the Original Demon shouted, leaping at Mael.

Mael sent the miniature sun at him and the Original demon sent his darkness out to block it. "Greatest Sun."

The sun expanded to bigger than Camelot, completely engulfing the Original Demon before exploding. Oswald waved a hand in front of his face, clearing the dust as Zeldris smirked.

"Were you trying to intimidate me with that?" Zeldris asked. "Or have you forgotten that no matter how powerful, no magic attacks will work on me."

"No, I haven't forgotten," Mael said calmly.

"Very well," Zeldris said. "Then _this_ is my response!"

He slashed, sending out an arc of dakrness. It hit an Arc from Ludociel and stretched around it like a thick black sludge, faces appearing on the ends of it, only for Arthur to suddenly have six arms and three swords again, shredding them before returning to normal as Gowther, King, Diane, Elizabeth, Sariel, and Tarmiel floated down in front of Merlin. Oswald flosted down in front of them all and formed his True Heaven's Shield as a sphere of interlocking shield barrers about the size of a human, all with chains wrapped around them, Merlin safely encased inside of the sphere with Escanor, since he was currently powerless.

"Don't worry Merlin," Oswald smiled. "Nothing's going to reach you."

"Merlin, how much longer until the incantation is complete?" Elizabeth asked.

"Five minutes," Oswald answered for her, perfectly calm. "Merlin, don't stop chanting for anything."

Just then, Mael, who had been spinning with Zeldris held by the arm, hurled Zeldris at the ground, only for him to catch himself on his hands and feet, then grin.

"Ominous Nebula," Zeldris said, Oswald suddenly feeling like he were being sucked into a vacuum, directly toward Zeldris.

He knelt, stabbing his sword into the ground and letting it anchor him in place. The others all found something to cling to as well, however, Mael was pulled in, only for Zeldris's sword to melt away. Oswald smiled as the suction faded.

"If I hold you off for five minutes, I win," Mael said, raising his sword as Zeldris formed a new one out of darkness. "If you can defeat me in five minutes, you still have to get through my three brothers, Oswald, and the Seven Deadly Sins, all within that same five minutes. You've lost."

"We'll see," Zeldris snarled.

Then, they were off. Their blades clashed again and again, over and over, at the same time as both used their fists, feet, knees, and elbows, Mael's sword constsntly transitioning hands as he fought. However, they seemed fairly evenly matched. Both were a blur, and both were making no obvious progress. Then, Mael landed a punch. Oswald smirked. It was over. Except, it wasn't.

Mael pleaded with Zeldris to stop fighting again, only for Zeldris to continue. As the fight dragged on, he grew more and more desperate. Then, finally, he landed a hit. His sword split Mael's abdomen open deeply, Mael collapsing.

"Mael!" Ludociel shouted.

"Brace!" Oswald warned.

Zeldris roared in effort and anger, sending a rainstorm of massive darkness spikes at them. Oswald retreated to his barrier beside Arthur, who was up to six swords, and they fought to deflect anything headed for it, the others struggling to avoid the spikes. They _did_ manage to block a lot, but finally, King enveloped them all in a barrier using Chastiefol's Pollen Garden form.

"Give up!" King said. "You have no chance of winning!"

Oswald glanced at Arthur, who had a gash in his side and was panting. Excalibur, which he had been carrying on his back for emergencies, had fallen to the ground, and Oswald knelt, gripping the handle.

"You won't be able to," Arthur said, also feeling King's barrier weaken, Zeldris currently going ballistic on top of it.

"Heroes of old, grant me this request," Oswald growled, darkness completely covering his arm as he stood, the sword very slowly beginning to rise. "Pin Zeldris to the ground!"

Then, he hurled it. Everyone stared as the sword smashed through the shield and slammed into Zeldris's chest, knocking the wind out of him before both fell to the ground, Excalibur landong on top of Zeldris, pinning him. Arther slapped his forehead, Elizabeth beginning to heal his side.

"That's so...disrespectful!" Arthur said.

"Well we weren't using it any other way," Oswald said. "Besides, they let me throw it, so they agreed with me."

"I suppose," Arthur sighed, glancing at his current sword, the same he had been using when they first met, currently snapped off halfway down. "This one's going to need some time."

Oswald nodded in agreement as Mael landed beside them. Oswald walked over to Zeldris, pinning his arms down just as Merlin's spell activated. Oswald knelt and sighed.

"Do you remember when we met?" Oswald asked.

Zeldris stared at him.

"You and Gelda were on a date," Oswald said, Zeldris's eyes widening. "I think I know what Meliodas promised you. But Zeldris, the Demon King isn't necessary for that. We just need to find the seal. Then Merlin can just use Absolute Cancel on it and Gelda's yours again."

"And where do you suggest we look?" Zeldris snarled.

"Well, I would probably start with wherever the rebellion ended," Oswald said. "You don't _have_ to lose your brother to save Gelda."

"You don't know anything," Zeldris said. "Get this thing off of me."

"No can do," Oswald said. "That sword eon't let me lift it, except for that one time."

Zeldris shouted in rage, driving a blade of darkness at him, but Oswald deflected it with his sword, then turned, walking away.

"Is it over?" Oswald asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth smiled. "The spell worked."

"Hey!" Hawk shouted suddenly, hovering aboabove the cocoon as a Red Demon hybrid. "The cocoon is empty!"

A presence was suddenly behind them all, so suffocatingly powerful that Oswald was amazed none of them had felt it before.

"You'd better keep your promise, Demon King," Zeldris said.

Oswald sensed the attack coming and spun, raising his sword and forming his shields, only for Meliodas's fist to smash through the shields, then hit the sword so hard it planted the back of the blade in his chest before launching him away. He flipped, crashing down hard and coughed blood before groaning. He ripped the sword out, shouting in pain before looking to Meliodas. He had the body of an adult, now, much like Estarossa had been, actuactually. His blond hair hung past his shoulders, he had on gold bice-length gloves and gold knee-high boots, a white body suit below it, there was a mass of darkness behind him like short wings spiking up and out to the sides, and a pair of spiky golden tails extended from it down to his sides. There were black markings over his body, and his eyes glinted with a cruel light that matched his wicked smile.

"Bastard!" Oswald snarled, coughing up more blood before he finally managed to finish healing, pushing himself up and flying back to the others.

"I applaud your efforts, Elizabeth, you tried very hard," the Demon King said through his new host. "The same for you, Seven Deadly Sins, and the rare beast as well. And as for you, Nephilim, you've actually proven yourself quite formidible. As a reward, when I exterminate you, I'll allow Derieri to live."

"Meliodas!" Zeldirs shouted, struggling futilely to get the sword off of himself. "Tell me where Gelda is!"

"It's not Meliodas," Oswald said, motioning for Arthur to let him up. "I guess you haven't noticed, have you. But I can tell just by looking at him. This is the Demon King himself. Meliodas is possessed, not the new Demon King."

"That's right," the Demon King smirked. "Did you really believe I would give up my throne to a traitor?"

Oswald's sword began to shine and The Demon King's smirk faded.

"Oh yes, the sword technique of the Angels," the Demon King grumbled. "How long has it been since you've seen them, Nephilim? I'd wager quite a while."

"I'd wager you're right, considering that you had them wiped out more than three thousand years ago," Oswald said. "This is the only chance I'll give you to get the fuck out of Meliodas's body."

"Or what?" the Demon King laughed. "You'll kill me? Purge me? You have nothing to threaten me with. You can't hurt me without hurting Meliodas."

"Meliodas would rather die than be used by you," Diane said as the other Sins surrounded him.

"Are you quite sure?" the Demon King smirked. "Because he chose this path willingly. The Commandments are fragments of my power, and taking them in will indeed grant you a magic boost, but at the same time, it will make you my host."

"And now you're going to go back to your own host and you're going to leave Meliodas alone!" King said.

"Actually, I've come up with a better idea," the Demon King smirked. "Elizabeth, I'm going to remove the curse I betowed upon you."

"Yeah right!" Hawk shouted. As if you'd ever do something like that! You suck at lying!"

Oswald's dark hand wrapped around Elizabeth, yanking her away from the Demon King, placing her behind himself. "You're not laying a single hand on Her Highness!"

"I wonder what his face will look like this time, as he holds your lifeless corpse," the Demon King grinned wickedly. "Maybe he'll be so devastated that he'll soon join you in the afterlife. Or, maybe he'll finally be relieved to nonlonger have to burden himself with you. I believe the first scenario is the best option, don't you?"

Suddenly, his right tail grew and flipped around, stabbing downward at Elizabeth, only for Oswald to deflect it, barely. He hurled Elizabeth to Merlin just before the twil crashed into him, shattering his ribs and hurling him. He flipped. landing on his feet as his ribs healed, watching as King, Diane, and Mael attacked him with physical attacks, however, his tails blocked everything before smashing them all away, the sharp points alomg their sides carving deep gashes into them.

Oswald looked down at his own armor, long since cracked and ruined, again. He removed it and tossed it aside before picking up the Winged Sword Mael had dropped, both swords shining.

"Everyone stay back," Oswald said. "I'll take him to the brink of death, then drag the Demon King out of him and be done with it."

The Demon King laughed. "That's very brave for someone whose power is barely that of a pureblood Angel!"

"I'm not a pureblood," Oswald said, feathers and his own sword turning black before pure white flames roared to life over his blades. "I'm a Nephilim."

He shot forward, but the moment he moved to attack, the Demon King's tail blasted into him, sending him exploding into Merlin's Perfect Cube. Except, instead of the force bouncing back, the Perfect Cube exploded, Merlin shouting in pain as she collapsed.

"Merlin!" Escanor gasped, kneeling in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"I'l be fine," Merlin said, forcing herself to her feet. "Oswald, can you handle this?"

"Elizabeth, can you use Let There Be Light on me?" Oswald asked.

"No," Elizabeth said. "It would kill you."

Oswald nodded. "Then you should start running. This will be destructive."

"You're not serious," Ludociel snorted. "We're not going anywhere."

"Last warning," Oswald said, darkness beginning to curl off of him like smoke. "You all need to run."

"No!" Elizabeth gasped. "You can't do that! You're not a full demon! If you use an Indura transformation, you'll die!"

"Tell Derieri and Jericho I said goodbye, won't you?" Oswald asked. "And that I'm sorry."

"Stop!" Elizabeth shouted, reaching for him, only for Mael to hold her back.

"Look after them," Oswald said. "Supreme Deity, hear me now. You want me dead, and you want the Demon King stopped. So now is your chance to get both."

"Don't do it!" Elizabeth pleaded.

Diane reached for him, but Merlin reformed her Perfect Cube, keeping everyone from interfering.

"You know my request," Oswald said. "Use me as your vessel. Stop the Demon King. All I ask if that you save Meliodas, and allow him to be with Elizabeth."

A beam of light shot down from the sky and Oswald grit his teeth in anticipation. However, it did nothing to prepare him for the pain. Every cell was on fire. Every noise shredded his eardrumbs. Every beat of his heart sent spears of agony lancing through his chest. And then, he was moving. The Demon King formed himself a sword out of his darkness and began to fight against Oswald's body, every impact cratering the ground. Oswald's body flipped over the Demon King and slashed, only for it to spark off of the Demon King's tails. The, as soon as he had landed, his swords split the Demon King up the back. Oswald's foot slammed into the side of the Demon King's head, launching him away, but before he could follow, Ban crashed down on his chest.

Oswald's body slashed at Ban, but he caught his arm and sighed, shaking his head.

"I never would have guessed you'd be the one to give up," Ban said, catching Oswald's other arm. "You probably see everything the bitch is doing, too, don't you? Well, you're lucky Derieri knows you so well. She brought you a gift. You'll have to hurry home to her to give it back, though."

Suddenly, darkness burst out of Ban's mouth, driving itself down into Oswald's chest. Oswald shouted in agony as the darkness fought against the Supreme Deity's light. It began to fail, to disappear. Panic shot through him. That darkness was Derieri's. It wasn't just a part of her. He could sense her soul inside of it. If it disappeared, she'd die.

"Leave...her...alone!" Oswald roared, his own darkness exploding against the Supreme Deity's light inside of him, tendrils of darkness and light lashing out at everything around him.

He could sense Zeldris and Ban fighting the Demon King, but he ignored it. His darkness had found Derieri's. He pulled it into his own darkness, surrounding it. Protecting it. Healing it. The Supreme Deity's light beat on his darkness relentlessly. He refused to allow Derieri to die. He had to get the Supreme Deity out. He shoved and the light shoved back. He shoved harder. Derieri shoved with him. Still the light refused to budge and the world around him was rent apart by the light and darkness raging from his body. Then, the light began to win. It was too strong. His darkness wasn't enough. But he couldn't use his light. His light would kill Derieri. He needed more darkness. He needed help. He couldn't win. Already his darkness was starting to fade. Soon, Derieri would be exposed.

A hand landed on his shoulder and the Four Archangels' voices spoke as one. "The brighter the light, the darker the shadows. Four Archangels' Forbidden Combination Technique, Heavenly Equivalence, False Darkness!"

Oswald felt their light flood into him, but instead of overwhelming his dakrness, it merged with it, strengthening it. Oswald didn't wast any time. He shoved against the Supreme Deity's light instantly, fighting tooth and nail against her, feeling the strain start to rip his body apart. He tasted blood, his fingertips had driven themselves entirely into his palms, he was pretty sure he had bitten his tongue off, his teeth were clenched so hard his teeth were being pushed back into his gums, and the tendrils of light were tearing into him as well now, the darkness doing nothing to defend him. Finally, he felt the Supreme Deity's control slip and shoved with every bit of power he had. Then, it was over. Her influence was gone, and the darkness around him had settled. He opened his eyes, smiling up at the Archangels.

"You saved her," Oswald smiled. "Thank you."

"You've suffered enough," Mael said. "You've earned the right to live freely."

"Now we just need to save Meliodas," Tarmiel said.

Oswald nodded, standing and glancing back at the blood-stained chunks of meat and white feathers on the ground, then at the two wings formed from darkness behind him He sighed. Until he had returned Derieri's soul to her body, he couldn't use his light. Suddenly, the Demon King screamed, beginning to fly around in a blue, blasting into the ground repeatedly.

"Spiteful bastard," Oswald said. "You can't win so you're going to kill him too? Stop fucking moving!" He formed a massive pair of black hands, slamming them down on Meliodas's body as it passed, pinning it. "Elizabeth, Merlin, King, you ready?"

"Yeah!" King nodded.

Oswald hurled him into the air and the three used a combination of Arc, Perfect Cube, and Pollen Garden to hold him still. Oswald flew up beside the prison and rested his hands on it, dakrness spikes forming from all sides and plunging into the prison, only to transform into chains just shy of Meliodas, binding his arms and legs. The Demon King rosred, thrashing, trying to bounce, trying to break free. However, Oswald held him in place this time. He screamed in rage and effort one last time before darkness exploded off of him, obliterating the barriers and breaking Oswald's chains. Then, Meliodas fell out of the smoke. The real Meliods. Child body and all.

Elizabeth caught him, spinning once before setting him on the ground beside Ban, healing both. Oswald took a step forward before feeling a stab of pain. He fell to his knees just as he felt Derieri's soul beginning to fade.

"Jeez, you weren't kidding about hurrying back, Ban," Oswald said. "Merlin, send me to Derieri!"

Merlin nodded and snapped her fingers. Oswald blinked as she did, and found himself kneeling beside Derieri's body, which was devoid of darkness, floating in the air amidst a field of dead demons. Jericho was kneeling beside her, panting and coated in blood but in no immediate danger, and the manority of their Holy Knight army was around them, now also including the Fairies, Giants, a once again living Elaine, Gloxinia, and Drole. Gloxinia and Elaine were above Derieri, eyes closed and concentrating, waves of magic energy washing over her from them, keeping her alive.

"Sometime today, Oswald," Gloxinia said. "This spell's ridiculously exhausting."

Oswald sent his wings forward, wrapping them around Derieri, then stood, stepping up beside her. "Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"You're not going to kiss her are you?" Jericho asked.

"Nothing so cheesy," Oswald chuckled, darkness encasing his right hand before he rested it on her forehead.

Symbols made of darkness spread from his hand, covering her head and shoulders, stretching under his wings as well. Then, as he lifted his hand, a sphere of darkness remained against her forehead before sinking into her. A moment later, the seals shone and Derieri gasped for breath, Oswald using his wings to lower her into his arms before letting them fade. Derieri mashed her lips to his, reforming her own darkness as they kissed. Finally, she pulled away and Oswald smiled.

"You saved me," Oswald smiled. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again."

"Like you can talk," Derieri smirked.

Oswald smiled, kissing her again before pulling back, turning to Jericho. "Thank you for watching over her."

"No I was just here to take advantage of her defenseless body and get myself off," Jericho said, rolling her eyes as several of the males around them quickly turned away, including both Gloxinia and Drole. "Fucking perverts!"

Oswald laughed, shaking his head before pulling Jericho into a kiss as well. As she kissed him back, her wounds began to draw in Light Particles, regenerating. Finally, Jericho pulled back, only to gasp, grabbing her sword off of the ground. Oswald spun, swords in hand in an instant, only to stop, finding Zeldris and Ludociel standing before them.

"Please tell me this isn't the part where you both decide to exterminate the Nephilim," Oswald said.

"You'll have to go through us!" Derieri snarled, she and Jericho stepping in front of him.

"All of us," Gloxinia agreed, levelling Basquias at the pair.

"Relax," Zeldris said, one hand rising to his left shoushoulder, where his shirt was split open almost the entire length of his torso. "We're not here for that, even if we were fully rested that would be stupid. I'm here to get your help with that thing you mentioned before the Demon King showed up."

"Oh," Oswald smiled. "That I can do. Give me a couple days for everyone to rest and we'll head out."

"You mean you want to fuck your those two, and enjoy the after-party," Zeldris said.

"Exactly," Oswald said. "And you're going to enjoy it too. Besides, we're going to need Merlin, remember."

"Fine," Zeldris said. "One week."

"Perfect," Oswald smiled. "And you Ludociel?"

Ludociel sighed heavily. "I...misjudged you. I tried to kill you, repeatedly, and was partially responsible for making your life hell. I did horrible things during the Holy War, to both of you. I murdered thousands of innocents, attempted to murder you, murdered Rajine, and so many more things that I can't even begin to name them." He bowed. "I...I was wrong. And...I'm sorry. For all of it. I know you will probably never forgive me, but-"

Oswald and Derieri set their hands on his shoulders and he stopped, straightening up to stare at them in shock. Both smiled.

"We _do_ forgive you," Oswald said. "You may not have redeemed yourself, and you probably never will, but you _did_ save both of our lives, and risk your own to protect our friends. You've proven that you genuinely regret whst you've done, and that's enough."

"We forgive you for what you've done, Ludociel," Derieri said. "Thank you for protecting Oswald."

"Thank you!" Ludociel said, bowing low. "Thank you both so much!"

"What will you do now?" Oswald asked.

"My brothers and I must go home," Ludociel said. "We defied the Supreme Deity when we saved you from her. We must pay the price for that. It is likely we will be killed."

"Nah," Oswald smirked. "She's more of the cursing type."

"Unfortunately, you're right," Ludociel sighed. "Oh well. Perhaps we'll meet again."

"I hope so," Oswald said. "I still haven't proven I can beat you."

Ludociel smiled and shook his head before flying into the air, raising his hand in fairwell befor shining and disappearing.

"Is it over?" Howzer asked. "Is the war finally over?"

"Yeah," Oswald smiled. "It's over. Let's go home."

Cheers rang out through the army, and it turned, beading quickly back toward Liones.

* * *

Oswald sighed, drifting down into the pit with Zeldris, Derieri, and Jericho. He was a little disappointed. It had been a week and there had only been one party. He was a little bored. However, he had kept his promise to Zeldris, and tbey had headed to Edinburgh, where Oswald could sense a tiny droplet of Meliodas's power. As they reached the bottom of the pit, they landed in front of a sphere of darkness with black crosses reaching off of it, like a black Arc. Oswald hummed thoughtfully, resting his hanhand against the sphere and smirked, shaking his head.

"What?" Zeldris asked. "You _can_ do it, right?"

"No need, right Meliodas?"

Zeldris turned, finding Meliodas and Elizabeth floating down behind them. Both smiled, Meliodas chuckling.

"Man, you work fast, Oswald," Meliodas said. "Here I am, trying to be a good brother and keep my promise, and you already did half the work."

"The fact that you came here to keep your word is enough," Zeldris smiled. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Gladly," Meliodas smiled, walking over and placing a hand against the seal.

It shattered instsntly, revealing a beautiful woman in a white dress that exposed a generous view of her cleavage, blonde hair in a braid over her left shoulder, and an overjoyed smile on her lips as she saw Zeldris. Oswald and the others turned, away, flying up out of the pit where the other Sins were waiting, along with Arthur, who had been training with Oswald and Meliodas for the last week whenever they had the chance.

As they landed on the bar's porch, Oswald stopped, looking away from it, smile fading.

"They just refuse to die," Oswald sighed.

"I'll deal with them," Meliodas sai, his demon seal forming on his forehead as Cusack and Chandler flew into view in the distance.

"No need," Oswald smiled. "I have a few friends who can deal with it. After all, their punishment is to be at my beck and call for the next thousand years. Go ahead Boys."

Then, a massive pillar of water, wid, and light exploded down on both od them, blasting them onto the ground before Mael appeared beside them, driving a sword into each of their chests. Then, a sun exploded out of each blade, completely incinerating both demons, finally killing them.

"Wow," Meliodas said. "I'm definitely not fighting you again."

Oswald chuckled. "Thanks boys. Now do me a favor and have some fun for a change. Drink something, fuck someone. Do something rebellious. If you're going to have to follow my orders, I might as well make it fun."

He heard Sariel, Tarmiel, and Mael's voices laugh through their telepathic connection and Ludociel simply sighed.

* * *

Oswald raised a hand in fairwell as Meliodas and Elizabeth paused one last time at the portal. They were heading to the Demon World together. Melkodas's power had grown so great that the world couldn't handle it, so instead, he was going home, and Elizabeth was going with him.

"Of course, since Gilthunder and Margaret both refused, and Vriamore and Veronjca won't be chosen, this still leaves the position of future king up for grabs," Derieri smiled as Meliodas and Elizabeth finally passed through. "Wanna steal it?"

"Nah," Oswald smiled. "I think I'm going to take a century or so off. But in the mean time, maybe Arthur should rule Liones and Camelot as one kingdom until Margaret and Gilthunder either decide to step up, or have a kid to do it for them."

"I'll pass," Arthur chuckled. "Although, I _do_ have to finally go home." He turned to Merlin. "I suppose this is goodbye."

"For now," Merlin smiled. "But not forever."

"Until next time, then," Arthur smiled.

He leaned in, kissing herb and Merlin kissed him back, the two remaining there for several long seconds before Arthur pulled away and nodded. Merlin snapped her fingers and Merlin disappeared. Behin her, Escanor was facing away from her, watching the sun set and actually managing to hold a decent replica of a calm, not-heart-broken expression.

"Oh don't be that way, Escanor," Merlin said, turning his head. "Now you've got me all to yourself."

His eyes widened just before she kissed him, but his surprise didn't stop him from instsntly kissing her back. Oswald smiled. He was hapoy for them. Things were ending almost perfectly. Now he only had one thing left to do.

"Well, time for us to head out too," Oswald said, spreading his wings.

"What?" Diane asked. "Where are you going?"

"Well, if me and Derieri are going to live basically forever, we need a way to keep Jericho around too," Oswald said. "There's got to be something."

"Why is Derieri immortal?" King asked.

"A side effect of joining my soul to his to push the Supreme Deity out, or maybe a side effect of the Archangels using False Darkness," Derieri said. "My soul has stopped aging."

"That's amazing," Merlin said. "If you ever swing by Liones agsin, I'd love to study that."

"We'll consider it if you can find a way to make Jericho immortal that can never be dispelled and doesn't rely on your magic," Oswald said.

"Very well," Merlin nodded. "I accept your challenge."

Oswald smiled and glanced at Derieri and Jericho who both nodded. "Alright, no long goodbyes then. We'll see you guys around."

"Good luck!" Diane said, waving.

"Hurry back!" Margaret smiled.

They flew away as the others were saying their goodbyes, if only so no one besides Derieri and Jericho would see Oswald's tears. He hated saying goodbye. But he had a job to do, and an immortality meathod to find. So, with that in mind, the three of them left on their next adventure. Though, it would be far from their last. There's more than one way to live forever.

THE END

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